Wild Kratts: Power of Nature - Season 1: Eris Arc - All Episodes
by Taismo-89
Summary: All the episodes of PoN's first season in one single fanfic! WK and all its characters belong rightfully to PBS, 9 Story and Kratt Bros company.
1. Episodes 01-02: Power of Nature

_*Scene opens with a book with a tree on it, book opens*_

 _"It was a long time ago… but it felt like it was yesterday…_

 _There was a time when Mother Nature was powerful. When living creatures lived in harmony and peace. A time of love and understanding._

 _But suddenly, things changed. The world started to change…for worse._

 _War… sorrow… sadness… greed… thoughts that came from human ignorance and irresponsibility…_

 _But it wasn't too late… because, in the same rhythm that evil appeared… good appeared as well._

 _There were people with good feelings in their hearts… bravery… mercy… kindness… generosity… and most important… HOPE._

 _Hope saved people from eternal darkness…and this same hope resides in all of us. And if we know how to use this good feelings, we might find a way to make the world a better place."_

A blonde boy in blue closed a book, finishing the tale he was telling to his brown-haired little brother in green.

"See, Chris? That's why we should never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up our dreams and hopes. They can lead us to a better future. It all depends on us. Don't think of giving up because someone told you that you're useless, because you're not."

Chris looked at his big brother. They have been bullied at school that day by that rich boy, Zach Varmitech. "You're right, Martin. I wanna make the world a better place. And I'm not gonna let Zach ruin that!"

"That's the spirit!" They brofisted and Chris embraced his big bro.

"Thanks, Martin."

"No problem, bro. And don't forget this…" Martin looked at his little brother. "No matter what happens, even in hard times, I'll be by your side."

"Promise?" Chris asked, preparing for another brofist.

"Promise." Martin answered, laughing as they brofisted again.

* * *

 _Years later…_

The Tortuga H.Q. floated in the Earth's athmosphere. Martin and Chris still didn't knew where they would go on that day. They kept observing the map.

"So many continents… so little time," Chris said. "I wonder if there's an animal needing help…"

"*grunt* We've been bored all these weeks: no villain attack, no animal in danger…" Martin looked at the map, then sat on the floor. "I'm more than bored, I'm chairman of the board!"

Chris chuckled at the joke. At that instant, Aviva entered the room. "Well, i think i'll use this time to work in more Creature Power Suits. I mean, I've been working on some more, but i think today I'm gonna finish them."

"More Creature Power Suits?" Martin asked. "Why?"

"Just in case," Aviva stated. "And I'm going to need yours to work on them."

"As you wish, Aviva," Chris said, handing her his CPS. "It looks like today is gonna be another dayoff for us."

Suddenly, Jimmy entered the room. "Guys! You're not gonna believe it!"

They entered the Tortuga's pilot base (in the Tortuga's head).

"What is that?!" Koki pointed to a strange beam of light that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"That's what I wanna know!" Jimmy said. "Where did that weird light come from? And what's causing this?"

"Whatever it is, it looks like it's coming from…the indonesian rainforest!" Martin checked the radar. "Close to the river."

"Finally, something happening! Let's check it out," Chris cheered. Immediatly, the Tortuga flew in the light's direction.

* * *

Once the Tortuga landed on the rainforest, the whole crew went to find the source of the light beam.

After searching for a long time, they found something between the trees: a temple.

"Wow… hermoso!" Aviva said, while the others approached the temple, looking in awe.

"Weird… we've been lots of times around this forest, but we never saw this temple," Koki said.

"NO! STOP!" they heard a desperate child's voice.

It didn't sound like any of the Wild Kratt Kids. Suddenly, they saw something coming out of the temple and hide in the bushes.

Zachbots! But why?

"Shut up, you crying brat!" they heard Zach's voice. What the heck he was doing there?

Spying from the entrance, they saw Zach with a huge jewel. "It's mine now! And you can't do anything!"

Suddenly, a beam of light came from the jewel. It was being powered by… a little girl?

"Wow… how does she…" Chris started to wonder.

"Watch out!" Martin pulled his brother back to the hiding place. The beam passed through the entrance and hit a tree. The tree filled itself of fruits.

Zach pulled the girl and she hit her head on a pedestal. "Don't mess with the world renowmed mega genius robotic syn-ventor Zach Varmitech!" He laughed as the Zachbots carried him and the jewel to his plane. Once the plane flew away, the Wild Kratts entered the place to help the little girl.

She was wearing a lavender pink Greek-styled dress, her hair was long and white with some black stripes. She was unconscious. Martin carried her in his arms.

"Awww… she's so cute…" Aviva said, admiring the child's beauty.

"Wow… so many doubts… how did she do that, why did Zach steal that jewel, and why was she here all alone?"

"First things first: we need to help her." Chris said, putting his hand on her forehead.

"Poor little sweetie…" Jimmy looked at her.

"Let's go back to the HQ. Maybe we can have something to eat."

"Aww, Jimmy, how thoughtful!" Aviva said. "It seems like she haven't eaten in days."

"I was actually talking about me, but I think she needs it more." They all laughed at Jimmy.

* * *

Later at the Tortuga, the little girl slowly woke up on a blue hammock. She softly yawned. "Oh, finally you woke up." She hid her head in the hammock.

"Calm down, please. I'm not gonna hurt you." Martin offered his hand for her to hold. She looked back in the voice' direction. There, staring at her, was Martin and Chris. She held Martin's hand, shyly smiling. "Are you okay?"

"Um… yes," she said, a little shy. "Thanks…mister."

Martin chuckled. "I'm not that old. Just call me Martin."

"And i'm Chris." Chris held her hand. "And you? What's your name?"

"Um… Mina."

"What a pretty name…" Martin complimented. "A pretty name for a pretty girl." Mina chuckled a little and blushed.

With help from the Kratt Bros, Mina left the hammock and stepped on the floor. At that moment, the others entered.

"Finally, she woke up," Aviva said, looking at her. "Hi, sweetie. How are you?"

"Um… still… a little dizzy, but… I'm okay…" Her legs trembled a little, but Martin kept her from falling.

"Her name is Mina," Martin said.

"Mina?" Jimmy Z asked.

"Yeah… short for Wilhelmina."

"Great. We just wanna ask you a few things." The Kratt Bro in blue carried her in his arms. "You're pretty light. It feels like holding a feather." He observed.

"We only want to know… what's with that jewel Zach stole," Koki said. Mina looked at her.

Then, she floated to the floor, surprising the others. But after this, she knelt. "Gnn… using my powers requires too much of me. Just something normal for a nymph."

"A nymph?!" they asked, surprised.

"What's a nymph?" Jimmy asked.

"Nymphs are mythological fairies," Chris explained. "I thought they weren't real."

"All things humans think that aren't real… it's just lost knowledge about other things, Plus, they cannot be seen by normal eyes. Only by people who believe and fight for Gaia's treasure: our planet." Mina said. "We nymphs are elemental spirits. Guardians and daughters of Mother Nature."

"Mother Nature? Wait, she's a person?" Jimmy asked, more confused.

"Yes. Our job is to protect her from the monsters that wish to destroy her."

"Huh? Monsters?" Jimmy Z interrupted again, shocked.

"Yes." She showed them, using her powers, some images on a magic window. _"You see…_

 _Humans are fascinating. With its advance in science and technology in the last centuries, they live better than ever._

 _And Mother Nature is really generous to offer everything they need._

 _Generous… but not endless._

 _Never the humans thought that the planet's natural resources could end?_

 _Humanity started asking more that Mother Nature could offer. Now, there's not enough for everyone!_

 _And those who don't get what is needed, steal without mercy!_

 _And more and more, Mother Nature weakens and suffers…"_ A tear escaped her sky-blue eyes. The Wild Kratts felt terrible. Martin wiped some tears.

"We nymphs do what we can to heal the planet. Some of us has specific jobs. My job was to guard the Earth Gem."

"Earth Gem?" Koki asked.

"The source of the planet's natural barriers. It is the power of the Earth gem that keeps nature strong and healthy and their natural barriers working. I was picked to protect it after my sister died."

"Died?!" Aviva asked, surprised. "Aww… pobrecita…"

"She gave all her might to protect the gem. How it happened...I don't know for sure. We fight till our last breath to help the planet somehow. But not even this is enough to destroy the menaces around us. Danger is getting closer and closer."

"Well, we know about hunting, pollution, stuff like this…" Chris said, thinking for a while. "But you also told something about... monsters."

"Yes. Monsters. Creatures that feed themselves on human inconsequence while Mother Nature and its defenses weaken. Someday, they'll be so huge… they'll swallow the whole planet!"

After hearing this, Jimmy screamed and hid behind the girls.

"The planet was protected before, thanks to its natural barriers, created by the Earth Gem. But the human ignorance, greed and irresponsibility makes the barriers weaker…and opens the way to the monsters!" Mina finished her explanation, looking down.

The Wild Kratts couldn't believe what they just heard. Martin looked really upset. "Why, that's horrible, that's terrible, that's unfair! None of you should suffer like this!"

"I know, Martin. We shouldn't, but it's just what happens. Humans are imperfect. And every time they make a mistake… someone pays for it. If only humans could remember our existance, and how Mother Nature should be treated like…"

"We do remember!" Chris told Mina. "We're on this fight as well." He showed her his creaturepod and some pictures on it. "You see, we've been traveling around the planet, saving all kinds of animals and learning about them. We even faced some… ignorant people that doesn't know Mother Nature's importance. And that one who stole the Earth Gem is one of them."

"We even teach children about how important is to help the planet and everyone that lives on it," Martin said, with a smile. "After all, in the future, these same kids can teach to others how to do the same."

Mina started feeling a lot better. She floated happily. "Yes! It's the union from people like this that give my strenght back! That's what i need. That's what the whole planet needs: good examples! Like you all."

"Well, if Mina needs us to have her energy back… she'll be 100% at no time!" Martin said, determinated. "Call the Wild Kratt kids! We'll have a Wild Kratt meeting!" They high-fived, confirming their commitment.

* * *

Zach looked at the Earth Gem. So huge…so beautiful…so powerful…

"*chuckle* Thet legend book wasn't lying! This IS the most powerful relic in the universe! Who needs stupid animals when you can have more power that you can imagine?"

He thought about how powerful he would be. He even imagine himself locking up the Wild Kratts Crew in a dungeon.

"With a power like that, those miserable Wild Rats would not dare to mess with me EVER AGAIN!" He looked at a picture of him, Donita Donata and Gaston Gourmond graduating in the "30-days Meet-Your-Inner-Villain Seminar." "Not even these jerks would want to mess with the all mighty and powerful Zach Varmitech!"

What Zach didn't know was that his dark and mean thoughts and feelings were being absorbed by the Earth Gem. Suddenly, he saw a dark light and looked back. "Huh?"

* * *

In the Tortuga HQ, all the Wild Kratt Kids around the planet were reunited to help Mina recover her powers. They were all impressed by her story and powers. They all believed the same things the Wild Kratts did, so seeing Mina wasn't hard for any of them.

"Poor Mina… what we can do to help?" Gavin asked.

"Well, a nymph's power comes from nature and people that show love for it. People like you all. The most people that show love for the planet, the better I feel."

"Great! Let's help Mina get her powers back!" Aidan said, determinated.

"To The Planet Rescue!" the Wild Kratts and the kids shouted.

"I knew I could count on you…" A happy tear fell from Mina's eyes.

* * *

Around the planet, the Wild Kratt Kids did their best to help the planet and Mina: helping injured animals, learning and teaching about recycling, even protecting the park. Each action made Mina feel better.

During this time, the crew learned more about Mina: she was vegan, she could speak with animals and heal minor wounds.

One night, Mina looked at the starry sky from the Tortuga's shell, with Martin and Chris.

She snuggled on Martin's lap, sucking her thumb. "Awww… can she be more adorable than this?" Martin looked at her tenderly. He caressed her hair: it was softer than a pillow.

"It kinda feels like taking care of you again…" Martin said, but suddenly, he noticed a worried look on Chris's face.

"Hey, what's up, bro?"

"Nothing, Martin… it's just hard to believe that all this time, she and her sisters were trying to help the planet." Chris looked at her.

"Yeah… she must have suffered a lot during this time…" Martin noticed she was starting to wake up.

"Oops, sorry…"

"*giggle* It's ok, Martin. *yawns* You know, this must be how it's like."

"What?" Martin and Chris wondered.

"Having big brothers."

Martin and Chris blushed at what she said.

"What about your sisters, sweetie?"

"*sighs* It's just that… we almost don't see each other…" Mina explained. "Due to all the duties with the planet, we're all always busy protecting and saving it. It's really hard to see how we're all doing… I almost don't remember how are they all like because of it…"

Martin looked at her. "*puppy-eyed* Why, that's so sad… it must be horrible not being able to see your family… I mean, I would feel the same way if this happened with me and Chris…"

"I don't blame them… after all, it is our duty to save and protect Mother Nature and Gaia's work." Mina smiled at them. "I'm lucky I met you guys. You're the first group of people I ever talked in years."

"Years? How old are you exactly?" Chris asked.

"I don't know for sure. But one thing i know is that nymphs can live a short life or a long life."

"I really hope you're a long life kind." Martin said, caressing her hair again. "It feels like…we were meant to meet each other."

"You're giving us one of the greatest adventures ever, Mina," Chris said, holding her hands.

Martin thought for a moment. "Wait… why she can't be our sister?"

"Huh?" Mina and Chris looked at Martin.

"I mean… not having a family close to her when she needs it…. it's unbearable… this girl needs someone to care for her."

"Yeah, you have a point…" Chris looked at him, then at Mina. "After all...we do miss sisters in our lives..." Martin sighed. He sure knew what his little brother meant.

"So, for now on, you can call yourself a Wild Kratt and… part of the Kratt family." Martin said to Mina. This made Mina float of joy.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you both so much!" Mina embraced both of them.

"We love you too… little sister…" Martin said.

* * *

A cloaked figure grabbed a tree with its dark magic, and shook it, expelling the animals that lived there.

"*evil cackle* Who would dare messing with me now?" He thre the tree away. "I'll destroy those Wild Rats!"

* * *

Some days later, during a walk in the forest…

"Wow, Mina! You look a lot better," Koki observed.

"Yeah. I haven't felt like this in years!"

"It's great to see you like this. I can't wait to see you fully cured," Chris said. This made Mina stop.

"Fully… cured?" Something was wrong. "I wish I could believe this…"

"What? What do you mean, Mimi?" Martin knelt to talk with her.

"It's just that… even though you're all doing your best to help me, my place is not here. I must continue to help my sisters. This means I... have to return to the temple."

"But, Mina… you can always do everything you have to and come to recover if you need to…"

"Martin, I thank you all for this, but… I don't think you understand: not always nymphs comes back from their battles. Like my sister…"

"Mina…" Martin felt he was about to cry. He pulled her close and embraced her strong. "Please, don't go… I love you… _We_ love you…"

Mina looked at that teary eyes. She kissed his cheeks and embraced him. Slowly, the rest of the crew joined the hug.

"This is so unfair… I love you all too… if only I could stay here… with my brothers…with my new family..." Suddenly, she felt pain in her chest and fainted in Martin's arms. "Mina? What happened?"

"Strong… attack… Ouch… Mother Nature… in trouble…"

The Wild Kratts ran quickly back to the Tortuga to find out what was causing that.

Back to the Tortuga HQ, Mina was feeling weak again. Martin was holding her in his arms. He was really worried.

"Ouch…" she moaned.

"Wow… what do you think it happened now?" Koki asked Chris.

"She said that Mother Nature was in trouble, and something about a strong attack…"

"Er… guys…. you might wanna take a look at that…" Aviva said, once she entered the room.

In the observatory, the crew noticed a black glow coming from the temple.

They all left the HQ to find out what was going on. Once they got in the temple, they got shocked: it was Zach, about to destroy the Earth Gem!

"STOP!" Mina yelled, jumping from Martin's arms.

Zach turned back to see the Wild Kratts and Mina staring at him. "Well, well, well… look what I see… Plant Girl and the Wild Rats!"

"THAT'S WILD KRATTS!" They all corrected him.

"And I'm not a plant! Nymphs are elemental spirits!"

"Whatever. The Great and Powerful Zach Varmitech doesn't need a bunch of Wild Rats looking at him!" His eyes glowed black once he stared at the crew.

He claped his hands once and the soundwave sent the crew away.

Aviva stood up quickly. "Zach, you jerk! You don't know what will happen if you destroy the Earth Gem! The natural barriers of Earth will disappear completely!"

Mina stood up with a little help from Martin. "And if this happens, the monsters will come and destroy the planet! Not even you will survive!"

Zach stared at them, with his eyes glowing black. His clothes turned into a black robe.

"Chaos… don't… CARE!" He lifted up his arms and absorbed all the energy from the Earth Gem. "I can't destroy it, but I can have all the power!"

"Wait! _The_ Chaos?!" Mina screamed in shock.

Once he finished absorbing the Earth Gem's energy, the sky got dark. The barriers had disappeared completely. Jimmy Z looked up and yelled, fainting after this. The others looked in horror: there were the monsters! Monsters made of ice, lava, rock and wind, each one more horrifying than the other.

Aviva and Koki tried to wake Jimmy Z, while Martin and Chris looked in horror to what Chaos caused.

Chaos laughed evily as he floated. He was now more powerful than ever!

"YOU MANIAC!" Chris snapped out. "YOU HAVE IDEA OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

"We knew you were self-centered, mean and even nuts… but never we thought you could be a MONSTER!" Martin said, holding a fainted Mina in his arms.

"Shut up!" Chaos yelled, sending a soundwave in Martin's direction.

At that instant, Mina woke up and protected him with a forcefield. After this, she fainted in Martin's arms again.

Aviva and Koki helped Jimmy Z to stand up and carry the powerless jewel.

"Quick! Let's get outta here! Mina needs us!" Martin yelled, carrying Mina on his arms while running. The others followed him, while Chaos observed them.

"Yes! Run from me, Wild Rats! I'm now the most powerful being on the world!" He looked to the Monsters and threw some beams at them.

"Spread the horror, my minions!"

The Monsters obeyed. Each of them walked in a different direction. "I will carry out my duty, mother. To make you superior."

* * *

Martin caressed Mina's face, slowly waking her up.

"Hnng… I feel weak…"

"Try not to move too much, sweetie," the Kratt in blue said, while cuddling her on his arms.

"I can't believe it! We were so close!" Chris lamented. "Now, the whole world's gonna pay the price."

"Not to mention what happened to the Earth Gem. It's powerless," Aviva said, looking at the powerless jewel.

"And did he just call himself "Chaos"?" Chris wondered.

"I heard about the Demi-god of Discord before, but I never would expect him here," Mina admitted. "There are many stories my mother told me about Nature Guardians and stuff... but I never would expect something like this. She said that Chaos once kidnapped her and she was saved by three brave souls. Although she never told me their names for she said that the memory of their fate was so tragic, she rather not say them."

"But there isn't a way to recharge the Earth Gem?" Jimmy asked.

Mina thought for a moment, then jumped of Martin's arms. "Wait. There IS A WAY!" She concentrated and showed them, with her powers, something that Mother Nature once told her and her sisters about the Earth Gem.

"I remember Mother Nature told me once about the Elemental Gems. Jewels made of the four natural elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Air. She created them to be used in an emergency. They were made of the natural elements and hidden in places where no human hands could reach."

"Why?" Jimmy Z asked.

"According to her, in wrong hands, these gems could cause severe damage to the planet. She prefered not to risk the planet's safety."

"I see what you mean. Some people just get obsessed for power quickly," Koki stated.

"It was said by her that once together, the true Power of Nature would show itself, in the most unexpected form, and this power would make the Earth Gem stronger, reforcing the planet's natural barriers."

"What way?" Chris asked.

"Believe it or not... I don't know," Mina said, awkwardly.

The Wild Kratts looked at her for a moment.

"Hmm… "where no human hands could reach"…" Chris thought for a moment, then something came on his head. "Wait! People can't reach the depths of the ocean! That's where the Water Gem must be!"

"The deep forest, where few people can survive… the Earth Gem must be in there!" Aviva stated.

"The Arctic must be hiding the Air Gem…there's when the wind is stronger, stopping people from reaching it!" Martin stated.

"What about the Fire Gem?" Jimmy asked.

"Where few humans can survive, because it's really hot?" Koki asked. They all thought for a moment. "THE DESERT!"

"Ok. We have a new mission, Wild Kratts!" Chris said.

"We'll find the Elemental Gems and recharge the Earth Gem!" Martin said. "Today, not only the animals… but the whole world needs us!"

"Just one problem… we'll need, like, animal help," Koki said. "And only you guys have Creature Power Suits."

"Not anymore!" Aviva said, calling their attention. "Ta-da!" She showed Koki and Jimmy Z her purple Creature Power Suit, and threw theirs. "Finally ready for a test drive!"

"Orange! My favorite color!" Koki said, excitedly.

"I prefer red, but yellow is cool too," Jimmy Z said. Both of them put on their new Creature Power Suits.

"Here are all the creature power disks. We'll need animals that match to the places we're going," Aviva said.

"I'll find the Water Gem! After all, I'm the swimming bro!" Martin grabbed all the water creatures disks.

"Earth Gem, here I go! This will need climbing power!" Chris said, grabbing the forest creatures disks.

"I'll find the Air Gem. I'll might need some creature powers to keep me warm on the Arctic." Aviva grabbed all the disks she needed, and placed on her backpack.

"Left with the Fire Gem. I'll go!" Koki said.

"Me too. Time for me to stop gaming around… for now," Jimmy said, holding Koki's hand and some desert creatures disks.

"What about me?" Mina asked.

"Stay in your temple, with the Earth Gem. We'll meet you there," Martin said, kissing her forehead. "Be careful…"

"I will. You gave me hope," she said, kissing his cheeks.

They all joined hands. "TO THE PLANET RESCUE!"

* * *

Martin looked to the ocean, from the Tortuga's shell.

"Water Gem, here I go!" Wearing his scuba gear and piloting his Mantha Rider, the Kratt in blue dived into the ocean, while the HQ flew away.

Martin searched all over the higher places, always diving deeper and deeper. Suddenly, something bumped on him. "What the…"

He felt tentacles around him. Seven tentacles? "Seven! It's great to see you, fella! What brings you here?" He thought it was strange for Seven to be that far away from home.

* * *

In the rainforest, Chris was swinging around in the trees. "Ok… certainly, not many humans can climb this high. So the Earth Gem must be in the highest tree." He saw some draco lizards and immediately recognized one of them. "Zippy!"

The draco stopped on his face. Chris giggled a little, then helped his little buddy to get on the tree.

* * *

In the Arctic, Aviva fought against a strong blizzard.

"Wow… it wasn't suppose to snow so fast…my calculations said it was going to snow in half an hour. I wonder what's happening... Huh?"

She heard a sad moaning. It was a polar bear cub!

"Aww… pobrecito… he might have gotten lost from his mommy…" She walked in the cub's direction. Luckily, he wasn't that far from her.

* * *

In the Desert, Koki and Jimmy were really tired while searching around the sand on their flying vehicles.

"Aww, man… I can't handle this heat!" JZ said, taking off his sweater. Behind the sweater, he was wearing a t-shirt with the same symbol.

"Relax, Jimmy. We're getting closer to the Eucalyptus forest." Once they got there, they sat under one of the trees. "Look!"

It was Koala Balloon. He jumped on Koki's face. "*giggle* Nice to see ya too, Koala Balloon."

* * *

Suddenly, Martin felt something moving the water. He dived to the surface and saw… the Wind Monster! He was creating a swirl on the water, and it was getting bigger and bigger! He saw something into the swirl: Bumper!

"Oh, NO! Bumper!" Martin looked at how desperately Bumper tried to free himself.

He looked at the swirl and at Bumper's mom desperately trying to get closer. "She won't be able to reach Bumper at time! If he dives, the water pressure will pull him deeply and he'll drown!" He thought for a moment.

* * *

In the rainforest, the ground started to shake, moving the trees and making Chris fall. Luckily, at that moment, Chris activated his Creature Power Suit.

With draco powers, he grabbed the tree firmly. Climbing to the top, he saw the Rock Monster destroying the forest.

"Oh, no! Not only are the dracos in danger…al the forest animals are too! "

* * *

Back to the Arctic, Aviva saw something behind her and the cub: the Ice Monster! "Uh-oh…"

* * *

Suddenly, Koki smelled something strange, while relaxing

"Wow… is it just me, or is way hotter here than in the desert?" Jimmy observed.

"Jimmy, look!" Koki pointed to the trees. They were on fire!

"Fire! Fire in the forest! But how?" Jimmy's question was answered by a roar. He and Koki turned around to see… the Lava Monster! Koala Balloon grabbed firmly onto Jimmy's shirt.

"Look! The koalas are in danger!"

* * *

Martin: "I'm scared…"

Chris: "I'm scared…"

Aviva: "I'm scared…"

Koki and Jimmy: "I'm scared!"

"Me too!"

All: "But they need me! Nothing will keep me from doing what's right!"

* * *

"Don't worry, Bumper, I'll save you… with squid powers!" Martin said, determinated. Grabbing his squid power disk, he touched Seven and activated his Creature Power Suit.

"I know you're an octopus, but I really don't have time to search for squids. To the Creature Rescue!" he said, diving to save

Bumper.

* * *

Chris glided to the closest tree. He needed a plan to save the forest and all the animals from the Rock monster.

"I know! Time for Operation: "Have a Nice Trip!" " He giggled at this name. "If only Martin were here… he would have given a better name."

* * *

Aviva activated her Creature Power Suit. She was now with polar bear powers!

"Follow me!" she said to the polar bear cub. They saw a cave behind the monster and ran to there.

* * *

"Come on, JZ! Let's get the koalas away from this fire!" Koki said, desperated. Jimmy Z ran to her side, holding a bunch of koalas… or maybe they were holding him.

"Are they all here?" Koki asked.

"*gasp* All, but… Koala Balloon!" JZ noticed he wasn't there anymore. They saw the Lava monster approaching the koala.

* * *

"I can't stop the whirlpool… but I can stop who's creating it!" hee said, having an idea.

Martin whistled and called the Wind Monster's attention. "Come and get me if you can!" He dived again.

Luckily, the monster was full of muscles, but not a bit of a brain. He dived, trying to follow Martin, but all he succeded to do was to become an air bubble.

"Don't ever mess with a friend of mine!" Martin said, bursting the bubble with his squid beak. The Wind Monster was gone, lefting black bubbles. The bubbles of black energy reached the surface and flew away.

"Phew… huh?" Martin noticed a blue glow. It was going in his direction.

* * *

Chris looked at his finished trap. "Great! Now all I need is that monster to fall on my trap." He felt the ground shake again and saw the Rock Monster… crumbling? He ran to the creature to see what happened.

It was gone. It was only a bunch of rocks! But how… he noticed a black glow around a draco. "Zippy?" The draco grew up till it was dragon-sized.

"Yikes!" Chris grabbed a wolf disk and activated his Creature Power Suit with some wolf fur he founded it while setting the trap.

Running as fast as he could, he attracted the over-growned draco to his trap. The monster glided in Chris' direction, but ended up falling into the web.

Chris, at first, was overjoyed it worked. But suddenly, he noticed that… it was unfair.

Even though he was a possesed-by-monster draco, he was still an animal friend of the Kratts. He was still Zippy. And it was really unfair to leave him there suffering. "No…acting this way it's not like me…"

He cut the web with his wolf claws and freed Zippy. The over-growned draco growled to him.

Suddenly, Chris noticed a sparkle going in his direction.

* * *

Aviva cuddled the polar bear cub inside the cave. The poor little one was moaning of sadness.

"Don't worry, fofissimo… I'm here, ok? I'll always be here… I'll find your madre… Now tell me… *baby voice* Who's the most adorable thing ever? Is it you? Is it you? Of course it's you!"

Suddenly, she saw a sparkle on the dephts of the cave.

* * *

In their thorny devil power suits, Jimmy and Koki ran to save Koala Balloon from being toasted. Jimmy climbed on the closest tree.

"Koala Balloon! Quick!" He shook some branches and the koala followed him.

The Lava monster spat lava at the tree, trying to destroy the koala, but Jimmy grabbed him just in time. He climbed down the tree before it burned down. Suddenly, he saw that Koala Balloon was injured.

"Oh, no! Koala Balloon, are you ok?" The koala tried to move, but his pain was huge. The other koalas surrounded him. The Lava Monster surrounded the forest.

"Aviva would know what to do…" Koki said, but suddenly, she looked at Jimmy. He had deactivated his CPS, and was giving his sweater and his cap to Koala Balloon.

"Jimmy, what are you…"

"Helping KB, of course. I don't mind losing my sweater and/or my cap, but i prefer seeing our friend feeling better." He putted the cap on KB's head and his sweater around his arm. "There, buddy."

Koki looked at how generous and kind JZ was. Then, she turned back to see… lava! Surrounding them and getting closer!

Koki and Jimmy embraced themselves with the koalas. Suddenly, they saw a sparkle going on their direction.

* * *

All: The Elemental Gems!

* * *

The Water Gem stopped in front of Martin and floated to one of his tentacles. "But how…"

Suddenly, Martin noticed something drowning. The swirl stopped, but Bumper was too weak to reach the surface. "BUMPER!" The Water Gem started glowing and threw some kind of "water beams".

"Wow!" Martin said, impressed. He used the beams to help Bumper to get to the surface.

* * *

Chris saw the Earth Gem gently land in his hand and throw a forcefield around the over-growned draco lizard. The green forcefield was full of positive energy, and it was enough to expell the black energy. Once it disappeared, the black cloud flew away and Zippy was back to normal.

* * *

Aviva slowly held the jewel in her hands. The Air Gem sent an tornado on the Ice Monster' direction, knocking him down a cliff. The Ice Monster shattered and its black energy flew away.

* * *

Koki and Jimmy held carefully the Fire Gem, fearing that it might burn their hands. Instead of this, it absorved the Lava Monster's heat, leaving nothing of it, besides a cloud of black energy.

* * *

"There you go, little fella," Martin said, relieved. Bumper nuzzled him and went back to his mom's side.

Martin looked at the happy family. A tear escaped his blue eyes. "Oh, and thanks for the help, Seven. Deactivate!" He said, looking at the octopus, and pressing the button on his Creature Power Suit, he turned back to normal and cimbed on his Mantha Rider.

* * *

Chris looked at the damage the Rock Monster caused to the forest, while helping Zippy to get on his tree.

"Don't worry, Zippy. Once we recharge the Earth Gem, we'll get the planet back to normal." He ran to the Cheetah Racer.

* * *

Aviva looked at her little polar bear friend reuniting with his mom. She felt a happy tear on her eyes. "See ya, lindissimo!" She waved goodbye to them as she ran to her flying vehicle.

* * *

Jimmy and Koki helped Koala Balloon to climb to his tree. Luckily, not all the forest were damaged. "Bye, KB! I hope you get better soon." Jimmy waved to him and he and Koki went back to the desert, to their flying vehicles.

"Now, back to the temple!"

All: Mina and the Earth needs us!

* * *

In her temple, Mina waited for them with the Earth Gem in its rightful place. Suddenly, she saw flying vehicles going on the temple's direction. At that same time, she saw Martin on his Mantha Rider approaching the temple and Chris on the Cheetah Racer. Once they landed, they all ran to each other.

"You guys will not believe what just happened!" all of them said at the same time. Once they noticed this, they all started laughing.

* * *

It was darker than ever now. Mina brought the Earth Gem to them, as Jimmy and Koki finished their story.

"And then we saved the koalas from that Lava Monster!" Jimmy Z said, wearing another sweater, since he gave the one he was wearing before to Koala Balloon.

"Amazing… somehow, our good actions atractted the Elemental Gems to us… but why?" Chris wondered, as he analyzed the stories.

"The Earth Gem is ready!" Mina placed the Earth Gem on the floor.

"Now, we need to join the Elements. Earth…" Chris said, placing the green gem close to the dull red jewel.

"Water…" Martin placed the blue gem on the floor.

"Fire…" Koki placed the orange gem.

"And Air!" Aviva placed the white gem.

Something was wrong: nothing happened.

"Huh… nothing is happening…" Jimmy Z said.

"Wait! This was expected!" Mina said. "The Power of Nature would show itself in the most unexpected way!"

"It means we brought the elements here for nothing?" Koki said.

"Good to know!" they heard a voice from the sky. It was Chaos. He landed on the floor, surrounded by dark clouds.

"You may have destroyed my monster minions, but you haven't defeated me yet!" He levitated the Earth Gem to his hands.

"No!" they all screamed.

"Once I destroy this thing, all the world will submit to the Great and Powerful Chaos! Neither you Wild Rats will be able to stop me!"

"THAT'S WILD KRATTS!" they shouted.

"Whatever," Chaos said, not caring.

"That's enough!" Mina floated to get in front. "You harmed innocent creatures, made the planet suffer… and you're now destroying Gaia's most precious treasure and offending my family!" She prepared to fight. "I'll never forgive you for what you're doing! NEVER!" She threwed a green beam on his direcrtion, but Chaos attacked too.

The beams collided with great force, but after a short struggle, Chaos' beam gradually overwhelmed Mina's.

"Mina!" Martin and Chris looked at their little sister fighting.

"G-guys… I don't think I'll make it…" Mina started to weaken. "Grab the Elements…save the planet… only you can do it!" Chaos' beam hit her forcefully, blinding the others with a powerful light. Once the light was gone, all they saw was her on the ground, apparently lifeless.

"MINA!" Martin shouted, freaked out.

"NOOOOO!" Chris dropped to his knees yelling. Martin picked her up, with tears on his eyes.

Aviva put two fingers close to her neck. "Still alive… but very, very weak."

After some moments of grief, they looked up to Chaos, furious.

"Come and get me, you rats!" The Demi-god of discord floated with the Earth Gem, and enveloped himself in a whirlwind. Martin and Chris left Mina with the team, grabbed the Elemental Gems, ran to his direction and jumped in, disappearing with the black magic.

The rest of the team was shocked. "They disappeared!" Aviva said.

Jimmy looked at the temple. "No, they're there! Why don't villains walk?"

He and Aviva were about to enter, when Koki pulled them back. "Wait! We can't enter there by ourselves. We need backup!" JZ and Aviva agreed with her and ran back to the Tortuga.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Kratt Bros and Chaos reappeared at opposite ends of the temple, with the Earth Gem behind the Demi-god, and him laughing maniacally.

Martin and Chris grabbed the Elements and stood up, looking at Chaos enraged like they never have been before. Martin was even growling.

"You're gotta be kidding me," Chaos said, cinically.

Martin and Chris stamped their feet and they and Chaos charged at each other.

Right before they collided, Chris passed behind Chaos' floating body and Martin jumped over him, allowing them to reach the Earth Gem.

"Quick!" Chris said, putting the Air and Earth Elemental Gems on the floor. "Before he gets back!" Martin nodded, and placed the Fire and Water Gem on the floor. But at that moment, Chaos materialized in front of them, pushing them forcefully, knocking them both on the ground. He jumped once and the Elemental Gems shattered.

The Kratt bros looked horrified at what happened. Chaod laughed maniacally again. "You stupid Wild Rats really thought you could defeat me? Now, the whole planet will surrender to The Great and Powerful Chaos!"

"Oh, no…" A shocked tear fell from Chris's eyes. "We… failed… everyone…"

"Chris, looks like that's it…" Martin said, as they looked at each other. "I guess it's good-bye, little bro." Chris felt tears on his eyes as he moved to embrace Martin. Chaos prepared to attack them.

"Guys!" A voice made the Kratt bros open their eyes in surprise. "Huh?"

"We're here!" It was Aviva and Koki!

"Me too!" JZ said, as the three of them entered the place.

"You have to keep going!" Aviva said.

"We know you can defeat him!" Koki shouted.

"You guys can do it!" JZ said.

"Guys…" Martin said quietly. Suddenly, the Kratt bros heard lots of voices. The Wild Kratts Kids were cheering for the Kratt bros.

"You can do it!" "We know you can!" "Kick Zach's butt!" "Go, Wild Kratts!"

All that voices… filled with…

Suddenly, something sparked inside them, making their eyes glow in understanding. With a determinated look, they stood up.

"So you really thought you had defeated us?" Martin said, while he and Chris looked at Chaos, and the Wild Kratts approached the brothers.

"You really thought you had the Power of Nature? You were wrong, Chaos!" Chris said. "The Power of Nature is not on the jewels…"

"It's in US!" the Kratt Bros said, victoriously. Suddenly, the fragments of the Elemental Gems started to glow and float.

"What?" Chaos said in surprise.

"It was by our side all along…" Chris explained. "…in a way we never expected."

"In Bravery…" Martin said, as he recorded how he saved Bumper from the Wind Monster. "…in facing your fears and reaching victory…" As he said that, some fragments of each broken jewel floated around him, glowing blue.

"In Mercy…" Chris said, as he remembered about the rainforest incident. "…in putting yourself on someone's place and understanding the real mistake of it…" As he said that, fragmets spun around him as well, glowing green.

"In Kindness…" Martin said, looking at Aviva, as he remebered her tale. "…giving help and care for someone, no matter what…" Fragments floated around her, glowing purple.

"In Generosity…" Chris said, looking at Koki and Jimmy, as he remembered their tale. "…giving without expecting anything in return, just being proud to help…" Fragments floated around them too, Jimmy's glowing yellow and Koki's glowing orange.

"All these "simple feelings" bring one thing in common," Martin said, walking forward.

"One single feeling that we all have," Chris said, walking forward too, both of them, being followed by the team.

"Ah, blah-blah-blah! What is it?!" Chaos was getting impatient.

"Hope! The most powerful feeling in the world," Martin said, holding Chris's hand.

"Hope keeps people going on their journeys…" Chris said, as he and his brother turned back to see their friends. "Make them not giving up on their dreams… That's what brought us here…"

"What brought ALL of us here…" A tear of happiness escaped Martin's eyes. "Hope that the world can be saved…"

"Especially from people like you!" Chris said. The Iild Kratts looked at the Earth Gem. The red jewel was surrounded by one fragment of each fragment circle. That new circle of fragments made the Earth Gem float to them. Chaod looked at that, horrified.

"See, Chaos?" Chris said. "Hope keeps people strong!"

"Hope makes us keep going!" Martin said, determinated.

"And that union of values…"

"ACTIVATES THE TRUE POWER OF NATURE!" they all shouted, closing their eyes.

The jewel fragments circling each member on the team came together to become Wild Kratt-symboled necklaces.

The necklaces glowed and the team were lifted into the air. Glowing energy emerged from the necklaces, joining into the Earth Gem, and making it glow powerfully.

A rainbow beam was blasted from the Earth Gem, hitting a frightened Chaos. "No! No! I will not fall to the likes of those rats again! NOOOOOO!"

Martin and Chris opened their eyes and flooded the temple with white light.

* * *

As the light disappeared, the team was fainted on the floor. They all slowly stood up, still dizzy from that attack. The Wild Kratts Kids reunited around the team, worried.

"Ow… my head…" JZ said.

"Is everyone ok?" Chris asked, helping his big bro to stand up.

"Check it out!" Koki said, calling the others' attention. She was admiring her new necklace.

"Hermoso!" Aviva said, looking at hers. "It's the Wild Kratts symbol…and our favorite colors!"

"Hey, look at mine!" Jimmy Z said, putting his arms around their shoulders. "Groovy!"

"Oooh, shiny!" Martin said, as he and Chris admired their necklaces.

"The Earth Gem is recharged," Chris said, looking at the jewel as it floated back to its rightful place and as the sun came up. "The planet's natural barriers returned… and everything is back to normal."

"We did it, Mina… for you and the planet…" Martin allowed a tear to escaped his eyes.

"Well, I thought you were exaggerating, but…" Jimmy Z said, awkwardly. "….looks like we DO have the Power of Nature inside us, huh?"

"Indeed you do," a feminine celestial voice was heard by them.

"Who said that?" Chris wondered, while the others looked around to find the voice's owner.

"Who else?" the voice repeated. They all looked in the Earth Gem's direction and got surprised.

A spark of light came from the sky, and got bigger, taking the form of a woman: a barefooted brown-haired woman with emerald green eyes and flowers in her hair, wearing an orange dress.

"Wow… is that…" Martin wondered.

"It's… Mother Nature…" Chris looked in awe. The lady stopped floating and walked to them.

"She's beautiful…" Chris admired her, with his eyes sparkling.

"Of course she is. Nature is beautiful in every form," Martin said to him.

"Martin and Chris Kratt…" Mother Nature said, with a serene voice. "I have been watching you both for the very first days… I saw you grow up together and save the planet in many occasions… always helping animals and people in need… not forgetting, of course, of your loyal friends… I must say that no mother could be more proud than I am of you both."

These words were enough to make Chris wipe a tear from his eyes. "T-Thanks, Mother Nature."

"This means a lot for us." Martin wiped his eyes. Mother Nature walked to them and kissed each one's forehead.

"And do not worry about Mina," Mother Nature said. "Nymphs can live shortly or longly… Mina deserves to live more… Her bravery showed me that she's ready."

"Ready?" Chris wondered. "Ready for what?"

"For a new mission," Mother Nature said.

She floated Mina's nearly lifeless body to her, and carefully touched her head, muttering some kind of spell.

The young nymph slowly opened her eyes, holding her head, then she woke up completely.

"Huh?" She looked at her body. It was the same as it was before… like nothing happened to her. "What?"

"Mina!" Martin and Chris ran to embrace her.

"Martin! Chris!" Mina floated up to the ground and embraced the two of them. "You did it! I knew you could do it!" she said, looking up and seeing the blue sky.

"We haven't done it alone…" Martin said, looking at the team.

"Wilhelmina… my youngest daughter." Mother Nature moved to embrace her little one. "You have proven me you're ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"I have a new mission for you, Mina…" Mother Nature floated in front of the Wild Kratts. "You must now be protector of the new Nature Guardians, the Wild Kratts."

"Huh?!" The Wild Kratts were surprised.

"Your courage and hope saved the planet from its destruction. You now have the power of the Elements on your hands." Mother Nature explained.

"Mina, you must help them to use their powers. Do the best you can for it. By the way, you became part human now."

"Part…human?" Mina asked.

"This does not mean that you have lost your powers. You'll still need them. You're now visible to everyone, unlike other nymphs, that are visible for who believe in the real power of nature."

"Part human… this way… I can be with my…brothers…" Mina realized, looking at Martin and Chris.

"Precisely," Mother Nature said. "Another side effect is related to your memories. During the process, you may have lost a big part of your past, but you'll slowly recover everything. And you haven't lost the most recent memories, neither the ones related to your sister."

Mina saw that her mother was right. She couldn't remember much things, unless they were realted to her sister and her new family.

"So what do you think, Wild Kratts? Do you accept being the new Nature Guardians?" Mother Nature asked.

"Wow… really tough task, huh?" Jimmy Z said.

"I'm on it! After all, what's another adventure for people who lived lots of them?" Chris said, excitedly.

"I'm with ya, bro!" Martin said, putting his hand on Chris's.

"Count me in!" Aviva agreed.

"Fine, I'm in it," JZ agreed.

"Woo-hoo!" Koki cheered.

"Ouch…" they all heard a voice from the corner of the room. There was Chaos, completely powerless. He looked more like a shadow now. Zach was thrown to his side, fainted. The shadow disappeared into Zach's shadow.

"What about him?" Martin said, looking at Zach with an angry stare.

"Huh? What happened?" Zach woke up dizzy, and looked up to see… a floating woman? She simply looked at him and this was enough to freak him out and make him run away. "I don't remember what happened, but I know I'll get you next time, you Wild Rats!"

"THAT'S WILD KR… oh, nevermind." Martin was about to correct him again, but he forget about him as he felt Mina's arms around him. Chris giggled a little.

"I'm so happy I'm staying with you guys!" Mina said, crying tears of joy. "I love you all sooo much!"

"Awww. Group hug!" Aviva said, joining the team in a group hug.

"You know what this calls for?" Martin asked. "A PARTAAAAY!"

* * *

Later in the Tortuga HQ, all the Wild Kratt Kids were having a blast with the team. Mina floated happily, dancing with Martin. Chris and the kids were pulling a prank on Jimmy Z.

Aviva and Koki kept their Nature Power Necklaces in the Invention Garage. "Safe and sound."

* * *

Mother Nature called the Wild Kratts for a conversation on the Tortuga's shell.

"Since you'll be now living with the Wild Kratts, Mina, why don't we keep contacting by letters? Who knows? Maybe you or the Wild Kratts will learn something during this new phase of your lives." Mother Nature suggested, whistling after this. An spotted eagle owl appeared and landed on her shoulder. Her eyes were blue and had a human look.

"Hello." A human voice came from the owl.

"This is Luna, a loyal friend of mine. She'll be taking your letters for me." The owl flapped its wings in agreement.

"We're honored to be called Nature Guardians," Chris said, while Mina cuddled in Martin's lap. "But there are so many doubts. That Chaos guy acted like... he knew who we were..."

"I know you have doubts, but answers will be given later," Mother Nature assured him.

"Yeah. I knew since we were small that we were going to be important. I mean, Nature is my middle name. Martin "Nature" Kratt," Martin said.

"I thought it was "William"," Chris said, exposing his real middle name, leaving Martin with a shocked expression.

"I told you not to tell them!" Martin complained, while the others laughed.

All the team laughed as they celebrated their union. It was the beginning of a brand new adventure… for all of them.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the depths of a garden, a statue started cracking. Two glowing yellow eyes opened.

"Hmm... new Nature Guardians, huh?" a dark, distorted female voice said. "Let's see how resistant they are..."


	2. Episode 03: The Kratts' Memory Book

It was a normal day on the Tortuga HQ. The crew was cleaning the whole place. Jimmy coughed some times due to the dust in the Invention Garage.

"*cough* You know… *cough* I could think abouts lots of things for me to do on this dayoff… *cough* but cleaning the HQ was not on my list!"

"So what _was_ on your list?" Mina asked. "Snoozing?"

"How did you know that?" Jimmy said, surprised. The Kratt bros laughed.

"Come on, JZ. It won't take _that_ long," Aviva said. Suddenly, she tripped on a bucket, throwing a box in the bros' direction. Mina saw that and stopped the box with a forcefield. A book in it flew out and hit Martin in the face. Once he saw what hit him, he became surprised.

"Wow… look, Chris!" A book with a red cover, and with a picture of Martin and Chris as kids on the front, was in his hands. "The Kratts' Memory Book!"

"The Kratt what now?" Koki asked.

"The Kratts' Memory Book, Koki," Martin explained, as he opened the book. "Here in these pages, we wrote about our first adventures."

"Wow. It should be on a museum," Aviva said.

"When did you start writing it?" Mina asked.

"I started writing on the memory book… when Chris was born," Martin said, looking at his bro.

"Really? You never told me that before," the Kratt in green said.

"I wanna hear it," Mina said. "Me too!" Aviva said. "Me three!" Koki chuckled.

"Ok," Martin agreed. "Let's see…"

* * *

 _'July 19._

 _'I finally decided to write in this diary my father gave me._

 _'Mommy was taken to the hospital some days ago. I didn't know what was going on. Daddy told me that everything was gonna be just fine. My sisters were as nervous as I was.'_

 _A little blonde boy in blue was walking around the room. A pair of twins was looking out the window. Suddenly, he heard a car._

 _"They're here!" Christine shouted. He and his sisters ran down the stairs to see their parents. Their mother was holding something in her arms and their father was bringing lots of… baby things? Wait! That meant…_

 _"Martin? Girls?" Mrs. Kratt asked. He entered the room. "Meet your little brother." A brown-haired baby was wrapped around some green blankets._

 _Martin's eyes glowed in amazement. "Aww…he's so cute," Susan said, while Christine squeed. The baby slowly opened his eyes. They were hazel._

 _"Can I hold him?" Martin asked. His mother nodded in aprovement, and Martin carefully held the baby in his arms._

 _"What's his name?" Martin asked._

 _"That's what we want you to choose," Mr. Kratt said._

 _"Really?" the boy in blue asked. He looked at his little bro, than he climbed on the bed. "Hmm… do you think he'll like… "Christopher"?"_

 _The baby giggled. "He smiled! I think he liked the name."_

 _"Christopher Frederic Jacob Kratt. I like it too, Martin," his mother said. The twins agreed._

 _"Hi, Chris. I'm your big brother Martin. We're gonna be the bestest friends forever!" The baby giggled to Martin, and grabbed his big bro's nose. "Ow!*giggle*"_

 _The Kratts laughed as little Chris kept honking his big brother's nose._

* * *

The crew laughed at the story. Chris admired a picture of him as a baby, with Martin. He also blushed a little. "Aww… I was so cute… hmm… we haven't saw much of Christine and Susan like we used to…"

"Yeah, Believe it or not, before you were born, I wasn't the luckiest boy in the world," Martin remembered.

"Really?" Jimmy Z asked. "Why not?"

"*sighs* I suffered bullying as a kid. Even before Chriswas born."

"What?! You?" Chris asked, surprised. "But didn't the girls help you?"

"Nah… when you were still a baby, they moved away to live with our father in the city. Since they left our home, i've been suffering more bullying, especially from Zach. Remember that he grew up in our neighborhood? Even before you were born, he was leading a crew of older kids to bully me. But this ended when _you_ came…"

* * *

 _'September 23th._

 _'Life with Chris is greater than ever. My little brother is really funny. I only wished our sisters were here with us… and that my curse would go away.'_

 _Martin was playing with Chris, making funny faces to make him laugh. But something just didn't feel right. Suddenly, Zach appeared in the window._

 _"Oh, look at this! Baby-waby-Martin is playing babysitter!" he laughed._

 _Martin felt bad about that. The air inside got a bit colder. He was about to put his brother on the floor, when suddenly, he felt a grip on his shirt. Chris looked at him, giggling._

 _The Kratt in blue smiled back. Suddenly, he didn't feel alone or hateful anymore. Holding his baby brother in his arms, Martin turned to the window and closed it, leaving Zach outside._

 _"Hey, don't you ignore me! Do you know who I am?!" Zach tried to call Martin's attention._

 _Martin looked at his little brother, who was looking at him, with a little smile. He looked at the window, then he knew he needed to do something that he should have done a long time ago. Caressing his brother, they went to the kitchen, where their mom was making lunch._

 _"Mom? We need to talk."_

 _'Finally, I feel that I have someone who like me the way i am, besides Mom.'_

 _The next morning, Martin looked out the window and saw Zach polishing his building. The boy in black looked back at him._

 _"You'll pay for this, you rat!" he said, and went back to polishing._

 _"It's Kratt," Martin said, annoyed. He looked at Chris. Then, he thought for a moment. "Hmm… Wild Kratts. It's Wild Kratts for you, Zach."_

 _Chris giggled and grabbed his nose again, making both of them laugh._

* * *

Chris was amazed. "I… gave you your confidence back?"

"Yes. If it wasn't for your smile, maybe I wouldn't have felt strong enough to face Zach and tell Mom about his bullying. If wasn't for you… maybe I wouldn't be me." Martin blushed a little by telling that.

"Awww…" the crew said, after hearing that. Mina giggled.

"But... I'm confused with one thing," Aviva said. "Why did you say "curse"?"

"Hmm... now that you mention it... I don't remember," the blonde member admitted. "But it was probably Zach's bullying I was talking about."

"Is that a frog?" Mina asked, pointing to a picture.

"Yes. And this frog was one of our first animal friends. At that point, Chris was, like, 5 years old…"

* * *

 _'February 15th._

 _'Today it was Chris's first day on school. We had a blast during summertime, most of the days visiting the zoo. But what happened today made us decide exactly what we wanted to do.'_

 _Martin and Chris ran to the park, after having a cool day at school. They just couldn't wait to see the frogs in the pond._

 _Once they reached the lake, they got shocked: it was empty. No frogs._

 _Chris was disappointed. "Do you think they left the park?"_

 _"No, Chris. They wouldn't leave the pond like this. There's no other place with enough water for them to lay their eggs."_

 _Suddenly, Martin saw a piece of paper on the ground. When he grabbed it, he saw a drawing of a robot with a frog inside of it._

 _"Wait a minute… I recognize this drawing!" Martin said. "And I know why the frogs disappeared!" He showed Chris the drawing, and he understood what was happening._

 _*flashback in "Tazzy Chris"*_

 _Zach cried for his broken robot, while Martin and Chris took the frogs back to the pond. "That'll teach him not to mess with wild animals!" Martin said._

 _"They deserve to "live free and in the wild"!" Chris cheered._

 _"Wow… you kinda sound like… a creature adventurer!" Martin observed._

 _"Yeah… like a creature adventurer! Like the ones we saw on TV!" Chris said._

 _"You know what, bro? That's what i wanna be when i grow up: A creature adventurer! I wanna travel around the world and save all the animals in the planet!"_

 _"Me too!"_

* * *

"There were others?" Mina asked.

"Sure, Mina. We inspired ourselves on some of the most amazing creature adventurers ever!" Martin explained.

"For example… me and Martin were huge fans of Jacques Costeau," Chris said. "I mean, this guy did awesome things in his adventurer life. If only in all this time, we could have a chance of meeting him…"

What the team didn't knew is that secretly, a Zachbot was spying on the team. While he was observing it, Zach could see everything the Wild Kratts were doing.

"Remembering that time when you made a fool out of me, huh, Wild Rats? Maybe if I erased your memories forever, you wouldn't bother me anymore!" This gave the robotic syn-ventor an idea. "Hmm…"

* * *

The crew was enjoying more and more the stories in the Kratts' Memory Book.

"Wow! Is that you, Chris?" Jimmy pointed to a picture of Chris with three baby ducks playing in a little pool.

"Yes… this was one of my first creature rescues… it was in a weekend. I took home these three baby ducklings and took care of them and splashed around in the kiddie pool with them. That was exciting."

"There is a lot of pictures of you guys," Mina observed.

"Yeah… but some of our adventure were never written here. What can I say? Sometimes, i totally forgot about the book," Martin admitted. Aviva saw one of the pictures in the book.

"Is that Thornsley?" She pointed out to a baby elephant.

"*laugh* No, Aviva. That's Toothbrush," Chris explained.

"Toothbrush? Man, you guys give animals the most strangest names!" Koki said.

"Is that a lemur?" Jimmy asked. He pointed out to a lemur on Martin's shoulder.

"Yes! That's Zoboomafoo!" Martin said. "One of our greatest animal friends ever! you wouldn't believe it if you haven't saw Luna…but before her, Zoboo was the first animal we met that could speak our language!"

"Wow!" Luna said, entering the room and landing on the desk. The owl observed the picture."That explains it why you weren't surprised about me talking. And i think i saw this lemur somewhere while i was traveling around the world."

Chris sighed. "Zoboo here gave us amazing adventures…

 _*flashback*_

" _We met him when we were starting our creature adventurer careers. Oh, those were the days…_ "

 _"We were exploring the forest, when suddenly… we saw a lemur. Really far away from home. He saw us too. Once he jumped to the forest, we followed him. Where he was going, we didn't knew… all we could see was lots of animals running in the same direction. All from different parts of the world."_

" _He led us to a very special place… the Animal Junction."_

" _A house built in the middle of the woods… with food and water, and even places for all kinds of creatures."_

 _"Mangatsika! You really followed me!" the brothers heard a voice. They looked up to see the lemur. "Hi! I'm Zoboomafoo!"_

 _They were surprised. A lemur… talking?_

 _The lemur jumped in their direction. "I can't believe my mind! The lady was right: Someday humans would come to Animal Junction! Oh, by the way, I still don't know your names." The lemur landed on a spinning pedastal._

" _Um… I'm Martin," the older brother greeted._

" _And… I'm Chris," the brunete said. Zoboo came over and sniffed them._

" _Hey, you two smell alike." The two chuckled._

" _Well, we_ are _brothers."_

" _The Kratt Brothers to be exact."_

"" _Kratt Brothers"! I like it!" Martin and Chris smiled._

 _*end of flashback*"_

The crew laughed as they looked at more pictures of Zoboo.

"We were visited sometimes by the Animal Helpers. They would be, like, the first Wild Kratts Kids," Martin explained, showing Koki a picture of Jackie and Amy. "They never said who they heard of Animal Junction from, though."

"But, one day, we decided to leave that place," Chris said, with a sad tone. "We didn't want to, but we needed to return home…"

*flashback*"

" _We left the place for the Animal Helpers' leaders, Jackie and Amy. They promised us that nothing was going to happen to Zoboo and our friends."_

 _*end of flashback*_

Martin wiped his eyes. "Saddest day of my life… We never saw Zoboo again after this. Neither the girls."

"Wow… that _is_ sad," Aviva said, trying to comfort the boys.

"Someday we'll see them again," Chris said, thinking about the girls and Zoboo. "I hope…"

Zach observed them reading the memory book. "If I had that book, those pesky Wild Rats would do anything to have it back!" he chcuckled. "Zachbots, move it!"

The Zachbot moved the chair Zach was sitting, making him fall. "Not the chair, idiot! Let's get out there!" Immediately, the plane went to the place where the Tortuga was.

* * *

The crew kept reading the book and seeing all the wonderful pictures on it.

"Wow, you guys passed through lots of things…" Mina observed as she saw the pictures on the books. Suddenly, she noticed… a picture of the group?

"Wow… are those…"

"Yes, Mina. The Tortuga Crew," Chris explained. "We wrote some things about them too."

"And *I still can remember the day we all met…" Martin said as he pointed out to a page.

* * *

' _December 15th._

' _During a walk around our hometown, we were lucky to meet again one of our best friends from school: Aviva._

' _She looked really different, but somehow we recognized her. Maybe because she always wears something yellow or purple.'_

 _"Well, look who's here… Martin and Chris Kratt!" Aviva ran to embrace them. "I read about your recent adventures, and I just couldn't believe it! You guys did stuff that not even that Nick Baker dude would do."_

 _"Oh, let's not take it that far, Aviva!" Chris corrected her. "We did a lot of things in our trips, but surely Nick Baker did better."_

 _"Well, I'm glad you guys came back. I've learned lots of stuff in Science Camp," Aviva remembered. "I even improved myself in technology and robotic. Recently, I've been working really hard. After eleven months, fourteen days and 3 three hours of work, I finished one of my greatest inventions ever: The Creature Power Suits." She held up two black vests, one slightly bigger than the other. The bigger one had blue and the other had green. There was a paw print symbol on the front. "I sort of based the extra color off of you two."_

 _"Wow…" Martin and Chris observed them, admired. Aviva let them hold them for her while she pulled something else out._

 _"I'll tell you how they work later. Currently, I'm stuck with a spaceship prototype. I still haven't given the project a name." She showed them the plans._

 _"It looks like a turtle," Martin observed._

 _"Turtle… terrapin… Tortuga!" Aviva loved the idea. "Project Tortuga!"_

* * *

' _January 2th._

' _Start of a brand new year, and of a brand new adventure._

' _We were lucky of meeting some of Aviva's friends: Koki, a really clever girl and a computer whiz, and Jimmy Z. Why Z? We never knew. All we knew is that they helped us in our little plan._

 _After long days of teamwork, the Tortuga HQ was done. During all that, we decided to use it for our new adventures. Also, we invited some kids to join us.'_

 _"And for this day forward, we are a team. The Wild Kratts Team!" Martin cheered. They high-fived and entered the Tortuga, ready to give it a test drive. "Next stop, Baffin Island!"_

 _The HQ flew away from the park. Martin and Chris gave one last look to their hometown in Georgia. It was the beginning of a new adventure._

* * *

"*sigh* I still remember that day…" Aviva sighed. "Such a long time…"

Martin and Chris smiled to a picture of the book: the first picture of the Wild Kratts.

"This led us to our first adventure. There's where we met Pobie and a walrus pup," Martin remebered. "And where we end up seeing Zach again after a long time."

 _*flashback with scenes from Polar Bears Don't Dance (this time, animated in the current Wild Kratts style)*_

"That was a tough adventure," Chris laughed. "And Aviva never succeded in fixing the malfunction in my Creature Power Suit. So, she made another one."

"Amazing…" Mina said, observing the previous Creature Power Suit, still stuck in the walrus powers.

"But I'm getting close on fixing it. Once I'm done it, you can have it for yourself, Mina," Aviva said.

"Really? That would be awesome!" the hybrid (half nymph, half human) cheered.

* * *

Later that night, Zach spied through the screen. The Tortuga's lights were off. Probably, the team was sleeping.

"Great!" Zach rubbed his hands. "Time to steal that silly book!"

What Zach didn't know is that Chris, Martin and Mina were still awake.

"After that adventure, Mina, besides that second Creature Power Suit, she improved the Creaturepods." Chris pointed to a picture of the Creaturepods. "And after this…"

Martin turned the page. "Blank?" he noticed. "Oh, yeah… I stopped writing in the Memory Book once the Creaturepods were done. After this, I forgot about it."

"Wow… it really has been a long time," Chris noticed. Then, he looked down to see Mina with her hand around her ear.

"I'm hearing something strange outside," the hybrid said. The Kratt Bros looked through the window.

"I recognize that sound… Zachbots!" Mina said. "I still remember when Zach attacked the temple."

"I can't see a thing…" Martin said. "We need our lanterns."

"They're in the Garage. And the place is full of new lasers and alarms…" Chris said. "We'll never be able to get them."

"But I know what you can use," Mina said. She showed them their Nature Power Necklaces. "I just saw them into one of the boxes we got out of the Garage during cleanup. They must have fell there by accident."

"What a fortunate accident," Chris said.

"Wait, we've never used them before," Martin pointed out.

"But we have to try." Chris put on his green necklace. Martin nodded before putting on his blue necklace.

* * *

The Zachbots opened a hole in the HQ with its lasers, so Zach could enter. What they didn't suspect at all was a vine following them.

"Okay, Zachbots. Ms. Smarty-Pants turned on the alarms. So no messing things up!" Zach said, while his Zachbots. What he didn't noticed was the water trail ing in the way. He slipped on it and fell on the Inventios Garage with his Zachbots, activating the alarms.

"Hello, Zachary," Aviva said, turning on the lights. Zach was startled. "I'm glad Mina has super-hearing, so she could hear when your robots were coming."

Chris touched his green Nature Power Necklace, and pointed out to the Zachbots. The plant that was following them wrapped itself around the robots and lift them off.

Martin touched his blue necklace, and threw a water beam at the robots, short-circuiting them.

"Looks like you forgot to make these ones here water-proof."

"Maybe the Zachbots won't reach their objective… but the robotic arm will!" Zach laughed, and pressing a button on his controller, his backpack opened, revealing his own robotic arm. It was

similar to a Zachbot arm.

"Robotic arm?! You stole another of my inventions?!" Aviva shouted, enraged.

"Correction... I improved it!" Zach said. "Now, I can grab this silly book and get out of here!"

"The memory book?" Martin asked. "What do you want with it?"

"What else, bro?" Chris said. "Destroy all our precious memories in it! Come on, Zach! Almost destroying the planet wasn't enough for you?!"

"Nothing is enough for Zach Varmitech!" Zach pressed another button, activating his jetpack and flying away from the Tortuga. The Wild Kratts ran after him. Suddenly, Mina noticed some pages falling from the book.

The crew kept following Zach, wherever he went. More and more pages were falling from it, and Mina was grabbing every single one.

Martin and Chris tried their best to reach him, with plant ropes and water beams, but not even that was working. Suddenly, Martin was lucky to hit Zach's jetpack, making him fall on the mud.

The book fell to the ground. It was destroyed.

"Oh, no." Chris grabbed the book, crossing his fingers. "Just hope nothing was lost, besides the cover picture." But when he and Martin looked at it… empty?

"Blank pages?" Martin said, confused. "Where are all the memories in it?"

"They're here!" Mina said, floating in their direction. "Looks like you kept this book a long time in the Garage. The pages didn't stop falling from it."

"What?!" Zach looked up. "I made it all this way for nothing?!"

"It looks so, Zach Vermin-tech!" the hybrid said, looking at him. The Wild Kratts chuckled at that mispronunciation.

"Why did we never called him that?" Martin asked Chris.

Zach pressed another button on his controller. The plane came to catch him. "Help! I'm contaminated!" The Zachbots removed him from the mudpool and took him away. "I'll get you next time, you Wild Rats!"

"That's WILD KRATTS!" Martin, Mina and Chris yelled, while the plane flew away.

"Is he always like that?" Mina asked Martin.

"You should've seen him as a kid."

* * *

"Well, even though Zach tried to ruin everything, our memories are safe and sound." Chris said, the next morning. Living free and with the Wild Kratts," Martin added, chuckling.

"But now, we have to find a safe place for them," Aviva said. "And I know just the thing!" She ran to a box, and grabbed a book out of it.

"It's blank. I never wrote in this diary before. You guys can have it if you want."

"Thanks, Aviva," Chris said, grabbing the book. "Hmm… it's full of blank pages to write on."

"Wait! Idea alert!" Martin said. "Why don't we write on this book all our Wild Kratt adventures?"

"Wow… great idea, bro! After all, the Wild Kratts are also part of our lives," the Kratt in green agreed. "We can make the Kratts' memory book…"

"The Wild Kratts Diary!" the bros said, high-fiving.

* * *

One week passed. During that time, the crew wrote in the Wild Kratts Diary all of their adventures, including the one with Mina.

"Almost finished," Koki said, placing a Wild Kratts symbol on the cover.

"There! The Wild Kratts Diary is done!" They all looked at the book.

"Not yet! Only one thing missing…" Mina thought for a moment, then said, "A picture for the first page!" She placed her new Creaturepod in a corner.

"And we'll be always saving the planet with…" Martin said.

"Creature Power!" they all cheered. At that point the Creaturepod flashed that moment.

A picture of the Wild Kratts… ready for new adventures.


	3. Episode 04: Trading Places

Another normal day in the Tortuga HQ. This time, they were in the african savannah. Martin, Chris and Mina were running with the cheetahs: Martin and Chris in their cheetah power suits and Mina floating behind them.

"Wow! They're pretty fast!" Mina observed. "And that cub is so cute."

They stopped running once they reached the Tortuga. "Thanks for the race, Blur."

"No problem, Chris. You make a really nice cheetah," Blur said. Chris was lucky that they were using their necklaces. They discovered recently a new power on it: the ability to speak with animals.

"Aw shucks." Chris blushed.

"Hey! stop it… *giggle*… it tickles!" Mina laughed as Spot Swat played with her hair and licked her face. The Kratt bros laughed at it and Blur chirped a laugh.

* * *

Aviva was finally finishing the upgrades on her Cheetah Racer.

"We're back!" Chris said, entering the HQ. Martin entered too, holding two "sleeping beauties" in his arms: his adorable little sister and Spot Swat. Blur entered too. "Maybe you would like some animal help."

"Done! The Cheetah Racer 3000 is fully upgraded!" she said proudly.

"Uh… it kinda looks the same to me," Jimmy Z said, munching a pizza.

"You're so wrong, señor. I upgraded its speed. It can run now even faster than a normal cheetah."

"No way!" Chris said. "You thought you could do this when we met Blur and you lose."

"Because Zach used her. Besides, she entered in the middle of the race, so it doesn't count!" Aviva said.

"Yes, it does!" Chris said.

"No, it doesn't!"

"YES, It does!"

"No, it doesn't!"

Martin and Koki just observed them arguing. "Aw, great… there they go again," Koki facepalmed.

"Listen here, Mr. Let's-find-a-new-species, I improved a lot my inventing skills. Of course I can beat a cheetah in a race!"

"This doesn't prove anything, missy! You said that time that "Humans can't outrun living creatures" and now you're going to deny what you said?"

"Okay, enough you both!" Martin separated them. "I think I speak for us all that all this arguing is becoming a huge problem."

"Just tell Aviva that she's wrong if she thinks she can beat living creatures with inventions."

"No! Tell Chris that he's the one who's wrong! I can!"

"Oh, so you wanna prove who's wrong?" Koki said, thinking.

"If he knew how hard I worked on the Cheetah Racer… if he even knew how hard is to be the inventor around here…"

"You call _that_ hard?! Try being chased by a cheetah in a gazelle suit or almost drowning in a walrus suit!"

Martin separated them again. "Okay, if you wanna prove who's right… I think me and Koki had an idea."

"What about a trading-place challenge? Like during the When Fish Fly adventure?" Koki suggested. Chris and Aviva looked at her confused. "Huh?" At that instant, Mina and Spot Swat woke up.

"Wha…? Did i missed anything?" the hybrid asked Blur.

"Martin and Koki said something about a trading-place challenge, after Chris and Aviva started arguing, apparently again," the cheetah said. "I really don't understand humans." Mina chuckled.

"Like this: on our next Creature Adventure, Aviva will go with Martin and Chris will stay and work with us in the Tortuga," Koki explained. "Then, we'll see who works harder around here."

"Fine," Chris and Aviva said, not even looking at each other while hand-shaking.

"And when will this next Creature adventure will be?" Mina asked.

"Tomorrow, sweetie," Martin said. "Tomorrow, the challenge begins!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in an airplane, Gourmand was planning something very special for dinner.

"Africa… home of the most endangered species ever. But this time, I shall cook a not-so-endangered animal. They taste even better!"

He saw a cheetah sleeping under a tree. "And there's my main ingredient… wait till tomorrow, spotted cat…"

* * *

By morning, Aviva and Chris were ready for the challenge.

"Okay, you two," Martin said. "Remember the rules. They're just last time. The challenge ends at sunset, or if one of you give up."

"Right," they agreed.

Mina, Blur and Spot Swat kept looking. Jimmy Z got close to them.

"Who do you think that's gonna win?"

The cheetahs rolled their eyes and Mina shrugged. "We'll soon find out. It's time to take you two home."

"I agree," Blur said. "It was nice of you to let me and my son stay in the HQ."

"No problem, Blur," Mina said.

"Time to go, Blur. And time for our challenge." Aviva was wearing her own Creature Power Suit and taking her Creaturepod. Chris kept his things in the backpack and sat close to the computers.

"Break the leg," Chris said, not looking at Aviva. She and Martin left with Blur and Spot Swat.

* * *

Martin ran and observed their cheetah friend with his binoculars.

"Hey, Aviva! Check out this…. Aviva?" Martin put down his binoculars at seeing Aviva JUST NOW running up.

"Sorry… not used to all this running..." she said, taking a breath and bending over, hands on knees.

Blur was hunting a gazelle for her cub. She chirped for him, and he ran to the bushes.

"Go. Mommy!" Spot Swat cheered.

"H'aw, he sure is cute, huh?"

"Yeah," Aviva said with a giggle.

Suddenly, Blur crouched low.

One… Two… THREE!

She pushed off into a blur of speed.

"Wow! Look at Blur running! I'm sure the Cheetah Racer can go even faster!" Aviva stared at Blur's race. She grabbed the gazelle quickly.

"She made it!" Martin and Aviva cheered. "Woo-hoo! Go, Blur!"

* * *

Chris organized Aviva's desk, no problem.

"I don't know why Aviva said it was hard inventing stuff… despite messing things up while working, it was kinda easy working on the Miniaturizer and fixing the Createrra," he said.

Mina just observed, while Koki combed her hair.

"So who do you think is gonna win?" Mina asked.

"Don't know…. both are kinda stubborn. It could go either way," Koki replied.

* * *

Close to where Aviva and Martin were, Gourmand got tired of running after a cheetah. "Phew. There must be a easier way of getting a cheetah without getting so tired."

Suddenly, he heard some voices. He observed behind a bush. "Nice work, Blur! Spot Swat sure loves to see you running."

"Hmm… Blue Berry is here. But where's the Green Grape?"

* * *

Chris relaxed in the chair at Aviva's station.

"Wow, big bro, you sure are acting calm," Mina said.

"Ah, compared to creature adventuring, this is like a day off," Chris said.

"Don't get too full of yourself. Whenever you do, something always teaches you a lesson," Koki reminded.

"Yeah yeah. But what can get me in here? It's not like I'm out there face to face with a black mamba like always."

Mina played with the pigtails Koki made in her hair. "I always wondered how Aviva works on a Creature Power Suit," she said.

"Yeah, Chris, you're not gonna know what it's like to be Aviva, until you make a Creature Power Disc." That made Chris sit straight up.

* * *

"I have to WHAT?!" Aviva shouted in disbelief.

"Yup. Be the gazelle. That's what Chris would do. He would be the creature to collect info," Martin said.

Aviva looked at the Gazelle disc, then to the cheetah…. and her sharp claws. She gulped, finally taking the disc.

"Well… if Mr. Let's find-a-new-species can do it, so can I!" She said, putting the disk on her purple power suit.

* * *

"If Little Miss Smarty-Pants can do it, so can I!" Chris said, grabbing a nearby screwdriver. Or was it a philips?… He didn't know.

Suddenly, he found himself wrapped up in wires. But he succeded in finishing his first disk. It had no data. Any animal could activate it.

"Maybe I should call Martin, and see if he needs a 'crazy 8' disc," he said to himself.

* * *

"AAAAHHH!" Aviva ran on her purple gazelle suit. Blur chased her for a long time all over the place, while Martin tried to not laugh.

Suddenly, his creature pod began to ring. He answered and Chris appeared.

"Hey bro! Do you need a…" He saw Aviva in the background and broke out laughing.

"See, Ms. Corcovado? That's how you feel when you're chased by a cheetah!" Chris laughed. Aviva heard that and stopped running, hiding behind Martin. Blur stopped in front of them.

"Anyway, what about trying out my first creature power disk? Teleport it, Jimmy!" Chris said.

The disc appeared and… hit Martin in the face.

"Opps… sorry."

"It's blank," Aviva said, picking it up, raising a brow.

"Like that time with Schnozzle," Chris said. "It can be activated with any DNA."

Aviva eyed it, and finally gave it to Martin, but looked away from Chris.

"Not bad…. for an amateur."

"What was that?" Chris taunted.

"Shut up!" Aviva replied angrily.

Martin just observed while the two were arguing. Suddenly, he looked back and saw Gourmand getting close to Blur. Oh, no! She was still exhausted from running after Avivelle (Aviva Gazelle).

"Oh, no!" Martin said. "Let's see if it works."

Martin walked up to Blur and activated, causing Gourmand to be a little surprised and jumped back, but when he looked back all he did was laugh.

"Uh... Chris?" Martin called.

"Yeah…" Chris looked over to Martin and gasped. His brother had a variety of animal features... even a tree!

"Uh yeah… I think you've made a missing link disc…" Martin said with a groan.

"Oops." Chris blushed.

"Nice work… not!" Aviva said.

"And you think you're awesome, right?" Chris started arguing with her again.

Gourmand took the oportunity to grab Spot-Swat and ran away.

"Hey!" Martin shouted… but part of him was planted into the ground since his body was half tree, half lion.

"Guys!" he shouted.

Aviva and Chris stopped fighting when Koki whistled, calling their attention.

"I don't know if you noticed, but your stupid competition just made Spot-Swat an easy target for Gourmand!" Koki shouted.

"But it was your and Martin's idea," Chris said.

"GUYS! He's getting away!" Martin shouted. It was unusual for him to shout like that… it was serious.

"Oh, no. And Blur's still tired," Aviva said. "Wait… Chris, i think they're right. We need to stop fighting for now and work together. It really When Fish Fly all over again."

"I agree. It was our fault that Spot-Swat and Martin got in trouble." They looked at each other. "And taking from this point, it really is hard to be an inventor."

"And it is complicated being the creature." They looked at each other.

"I give up," theyboth said.

"It's a tie!" Koki announced.

"Bring the M.I.K. and the Disks so I can make another Cheetah Disk. Use the Cheetah Racer for this," Aviva instructed. Chris agreed. He grabbed his Creature Power Suit and his backpack.

* * *

Gourmand trapped Spot-Swat on a cage and stared at him.

"With you here, it won't be long till your mommy comes! I'll have a wild cat delicacy in no time!"

Spot-Swat shivered in the cage.

"Whew! Thanks guys," Martin said, as he was deactivated.

"It's kinda weird to have the lungs of the cheetah on one side and the gills of a shark on the other," he said, catching his breath.

"Geez. It really isn't easy as I thought. Should've fully learned that the first time. I'm sorry for everything, Aviva," Chris admited. Koki, Mina and Jimmy smiled.

"I'm sorry too, Chris. We were both really stupid for arguing that way. But now that Martin's suit is fixed, I say we save little Spot-Swat with Cheetah powers!" Aviva said, getting a newly-made Cheetah power disk from the M.I.K.

Mina counted on her fingers. Now, there were three Cheetah disks for three creature rescuers.

"Activate Cheetah Powers!" they all said, activating their Creature Power Suits.

Blur, who had finally caught her breath, was ready to run.

"To the Creature Rescue!" Aviva, Chris and Martin shouted. Koki, Jimmy and Mina followed them in the Cheetah Racer.

* * *

Spot-Swat just stared around on his cage, really scared. Where was his mother?

With Cheetah Powers. Aviva, Martin and Chris reached Gourmand's plane. The others reached them quickly.

Blur chirped to her cub, calling his attention. "Gourmand's returning! Quick!" Aviva saw the chef heading back to the plane with her cheetah vision.

They all hid in the plane, behind some boxes.

Martin made a scowl of anger but he was also concerned as Gourmand took Spot Swat in the cage and carried him off.

"Wait! He can't go!" Martin said, before Chris grabbed him by the arm and pushed him back behind the boxes, being hushed by both his siblings.

"Wait! I have an idea," Chris said. "Koki, Jimmy, we need your help."

Gourmand started sweating inside of the plane. It was hot in there or something like that?

Jimmy and Koki were using their medallions to overheat the place. "Come on! We can't hold it much longer. You need to act fast!"

"Alright." Chris nodded.

"Martin, you sneak to the left, I'll sneak to the right…"

"And I'll run toward him!" Aviva agreed. "To the Creature Rescue!"

The team ran around Gourmand, leaving him dizzy, and making him drop Spot-Swat. Mina signaled for the cub and Blur to follow her. After the nymph and the cheetahs left the plane, Koki and Jimmy fainted from exhaustion, stopping their Nature Power trick. Aviva, Chris and Martin stopped running, leaving a dizzy Gourmand wondering what happened.

"We gotta save Jimmy and Koki!" Chris said, noticing they couldn't fend for themselves at the moment.

Gourmand held his head, trying to regain his sense of direction as Martin and Chris tip toed back to Jimmy and Koki… but they were one second too late.

"Nice try ya Kratt Croutons," Gourmand said, his balance now fully regained as he reached for the lever, that closed the plane door and trapped Mina, Blur and Spot-Swat there as well.

"Uh-oh."

"Hey…" Gourmand looked at the nymph girl.

"Who's the spice-haired girl?" He sniffed her hair.

"Hey!" she protested,

"Oh, our little sister Mina," Chris said, as he helped Jimmy standing up, while Aviva helped Koki.

Martin sped up to face Gourmand. "Don't you dare hurt her! Any of them!" he growled.

"Don't you talk to me like this, Blue Berry!" Gourmand pushed him to the floor. This was enough for Blur and Mina to do something.

"Hey you meanie!" Mina shouted, furious. "Leave my brother alone!"

She used all her Nature Power and strength to make Gourmand levitate, scaring him.

"What is this?!"

"It's Nature Power!" Jimmy said, after waking up.

Martin took the oportunity to open the plane door. "Everybody out!"

Mina floated Gourmand to a cage. "Let's see how you would feel if it happened to you!"

After throwing him in there, Mina knelt of exhaustion. Martin held her on his arms.

"Nice job. Let's get out of here."

"What… about… Gourd-mand?" Mina asked.

"He'll be fine. We'll send him on a little vaca. Chris?"

"Autopilot set to…." Chris punched in the numbers, "Greenland. That outta work."

"GREENland? Really?" Martin asked with a smirk as Chris shrugged.

"Let's zap outta here!" Chris led the team, before the plane took off.

* * *

"Mission, I mean, MISSIONS Accomplished." Martin said.

"Ready for the letter," Luna said, with a pen in her talons. Chris and Aviva looked at each other. Chris cleared his throat.

 _"Dear Mother Nature,_

 _today, besides presenting two of our animal friends to Mina, Aviva and I learned something valuable,"_ Chris started.

 _"We learned two things actually: that not always doing something that someone does is as simple as it seems to be, and that we must never put a silly competition ahead of our friends. We'll continue working together to prevent this of happening again. Even if it means… messing things up a little,"_ Aviva said and finished.

"Messing up a lot," Chris said.

"Little."

"Lot."

"Little!"

"Lot!"

Mina and Martin rolled their eyes.

"Here we go again," Martin said.

Aviva and Chris overheard.

"…Sometime," the two said together before laughing.

They all laughed. Another adventure… another valuable lesson in Wild Kratts history.


	4. Episode 05: The Missing Hairclips

Another day started in the African savannah. The Tortuga was parked near a meadow and the vegetation was low.

In a tree, in some hammocks, the Kratts brothers slept quietly. Well, at least one of them was sleeping: Martin, with his beloved little nymph sister in his arms.

Apparently, Mina had a nightmare last night and sought comfort in her older brother's howls and hugs.

Chris watched the two sleeping and sighed, a little sad for the fact that his new little sister seemed to like Martin's company more than his.

Gosh… both of them were her big brothers. So why couldn't he give her some "big brother love" too, like his older brother?

Suddenly, the two sleepyheads starting waking up. Mina yawned softly, almost like a cheetah chirp.

"Good morning …" she whispered, standing up. Her hair was really messy and her bangs were fallen in her eyes. Well, more than usual.

"Good morning, my little butterfly!" Martin said, excitedly. "Did you sleep well?"

Chris smiled. Mina was very special for them. After the incident with Zach, they didn't want to lose her again.

Suddenly, he heard the Tortuga's door opening. Aviva stretched and yawned as she walked outside.

"Buenos dias," she said.

Mina floated to the ground, while her older brothers climbed down the tree. Chris yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Haven't slept well, Chris?" Mina asked as Koki appeared with a brush to comb the nymph girl's long hair.

"No... I had a nightmare last night… I dreamed that Donita had kidnapped you," Chris said, rubbing his eyes more.

"Who's Donita?" Mina asked Martin.

"Donita Donata. Madam Crazy-Clothes," Martin whispered. "A wicked witch that use living creatures on her fashion line."

"She put them in suspended animation," Aviva explained.

"And don't let them eat or drink anything!" Jimmy Z said.

"Um .. we haven't saw much of her for a long time," Koki admitted without realizing the knot in Mina's hair.

"Ouch!" Mina said. "Careful, Koki!"

"Sorry," Koki said, combing the girl's hair a little more gently.

"You're right, Koki. I wonder what she is doing now…" wondered Martin.

Aviva noticed that Chris was a bit lost in his thoughts.

"What's up, Chris?"

"Aviva… do you think Mina likes me?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course she likes you," Aviva said. "You're her brother."

"No, I know, but…" Chris looked at Martin, who was playing with Mina while her hair was being combed. "She spends more time with Martin than me… I even think that… she loves him more than me…"

"Are you jealous?" Aviva said.

"No, no… I just think she spends more time with him than me. … I mean, I always wanted to know how's like to be a "big brother"… well, I knew before, but…"

"I know… I miss her too."

"Done! Whatcha think, sweetie?" Koki said, showing a mirror to Mina. She admired the braid that Koki made in her hair.

"Wow… it's beautiful, Koki!" Mina said.

"Wanna go for a ride through the savannah, little sister?" Martin asked.

"Sure… huh?" Mina noticed that something was wrong.

"Wait…" She checked her hair. "Where are my hairclips?"

"Relax, Mina," Koki said. "I just took them off for a while, to fix your hair."

Koki looked down. "Huh? Where are they?"

"Oh no!" Mina said desperately.

"Look! Termites!" Jimmy Z pointed out, seeing the hairclips' flowers on the floor. Termites were dragging the hairclips to their lair.

"They must have thought they were flowers," Aviva said.

"Oh, so what if they took away the hairclips?" Jimmy Z said.

"So what?" Koki said. "If you don't know, Mr. Z, these haiclips are the only thing she has to remember her sister!"

"She made herself the hairclips and put it in Mina's hair. How can you be so heartless?" Martin said, angered by Jimmy's ignorance.

"Sorry… I didn't know it…" Jimmy Z defended himself.

"My hairclips…" Mina felt herself about to cry. "They are the only thing I have to remember her. Without them, I have nothing… I don't want to forget her… as I forgot the others …" She began to whimper. Martin embraced her, trying to give some comfort to her.

Chris came up with Aviva. "Don't worry, lil' sister. We'll get them back," Chris said.

"But how?" Koki asked.

"We will miniaturize ourselves and follow that termites. Let's solve the case of The Missing Hairclips!" Martin said, smiling at Mina.

* * *

Some time later, in the Tortuga, the Miniaturizer was ready. The Kratt Brothers had their backpacks and Creaturepods ready.

Mina was also going with them. She never had a miniaturized adventure before. Koki put a similar pair of hairclips in her hair, to cheer up the nymph girl. Mina smiled at her kindly.

"Okay, boys," Aviva said. "Are you sure you'll take ALL the disks?"

"Of course " Martin said. "No one knows what kind of danger we can find out there."

"Especially miniaturized," Chris agreed. "Let's be the termite and find your hairclips, sis," he said, putting his arm around Mina.

"Cool!" Mina said, running to Martin's lap. Chris sighed.

"Does she really like me?" he thought.

"Miniaturizing!" Martin said, while the machine worked.

"Gosh!" Mina said. "For the first time in my life, I know how an ant feels!"

Martin climbed onto his buzz bike with her, being followed by Chris.

"To the hairclip rescue!"

* * *

Of course, a journey like that, even on a buzz bike, become huge when you are miniaturized.

Martin and Chris tried to find the termites for a long time.

"Even if it is a low-grass season, when you're miniaturized, this place looks like a jungle," Chris said.

"Totally, bro," Martin said.

Suddenly, Chris looked at the sky. Rain clouds!

"Oh-oh! Martin, we better find a safe place. It's gonna start raining! And judging our size, a raindrop can be VERY dangerous!"

"Oh-oh! So let's go!"

The first raindrops came ginormous. One of them hit Martin and Mina's buzz bike, dropping them.

Mina used her Nature Power to levitate them and the backpacks to the ground safely. But with this, she felt exhausted.

"Quick, in the hole!" Chris warned, pointing to a hole in the ground.

Martin carried Mina in his arms and they entered the hole quickly.

* * *

"It had to start raining… where did this rain come from?" Martin complained.

Suddenly, Mina started coughing. When she used her powers, it was normal for her to became very weak, even sometimes getting sick.

"Uh-oh. We better think of something. Mina's getting a cold," Martin said.

"The buzz bikes are gone, but we have the disks and the Creature Power Suits. We have to keep her warm until it stops raining. But how?" Chris said. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Oh, no! I left the Wolf disk at the Tortuga!" Martin said, after searching for the disk. "I should have checked before we left the HQ! How will we warm her up now?"

Suddenly, he saw the green glow of his brother's Creature Power Suit.

"Good idea, bro. The T-Devil Power Suit. But how?" asked Martin.

"I kept some T-Devil fur, just in case," Chris said, growling as a T-Devil.

"Great. I'll keep watching the entrance," Martin completed by going to the front of the hole. "You never know, you know …"

"Good thing I always keep something from the animals we know," Chris said, smiling. Mina coughed again.

He made her sit on his lap, and lay down, pulling her back. Chris's T-Devil fur soon started warming her up.

"I know this is not the same thing as a hug from Martin, but I'm trying," Chris said.

Mina smiled at him. "Wow… I thought you would never have a turn…"

"Huh?" Chris said. "What do you mean? You… wanted to be with me?"

"Of course," said Mina. "I have been waiting for you to spend time with me, like, forever…but you never did…"

Chris smiled sheepishly. He, who always thought she just wanted Martin's attention, discovered that it was not what he thought.

"You never hugged me, never cuddled or offered comfort… I just thought that… you didn't liked that kind of thing…" Mina admitted, while warming herself in her big brother's arms.

"It's just that… I always thought you only liked Martin's comfort and love," Chris said. "I guess I never talked about it… we've always had that in our heads, but we never admitted …"

He hugged her, letting a tear of joy escape his eyes.

"But I love you too, sis… you just don't know how much I wanted to hold you like this. You mean everything to me."

Mina felt her big brother's love on that comforting and warm hug. She snuggled closer to him, kissing her brother's face, and fell asleep, but not before whispering "I love you" to him.

Martin watched everything that happened.

"My two little siblings…" He wiped a tear. "Finally getting along…" Deep inside, the Kratt in blue always wanted that to happen.

* * *

Some time later, it stopped raining.

Everyone started waking up. It was time to find Mina's hairclips.

Chris yawned and stretched like a Tasmanian devil. Mina opened her eyes gently, looked at Chris and kept herself close to him.

"Still cold, cutie?" Chris carried Mina in his arms, like he always wanted.

"Hm-mm." Mina nodded, snuggling on his arms. "A little."

"Feel better, Mina?" Martin asked, putting his hand on his little sister's forehead.

"Yes... much better," Mina said.

Suddenly, Chris heard something digging the earth.

"Let's get out of here. Seems that someone wants to come in!" he said. Mina climbed on his back and Martin took the backpacks.

"Hold on, sis! Getting outta here with Creature power!" Chris said.

"Come on!" said Martin, running with the backpacks.

They went through the entrance, and saw what was digging. An aardvark!

"Aviva! Koki! Come in!" Martin tried to contact, but his Creaturepod was soaked. "It's not working!"

"Come on, we have to find those termites," Chris said.

"No need, they found us!" Martin pointed out.

Giant termites wasn't a surprise for the Kratts, but Mina was freaked out. She hid behind Chris.

"Relax, Mina… they'll not hurt you," Martin said.

"Ih-oh! Unless she smell like… flowers!" Chris remembered: Mina's hair smelled like flowers and spice.

She shivered with fear. Suddenly, she caught wind of a familiar scent. "My hairclips' scent!" A termite was smelling like flowers. He felt around Mina with its antennae.

"Hey, if you want her, you have to go through me," Chris growled, but the termites carried him away.

"Let him go!" Mina tried to speak with the creature, but she was still too weak to use that power.

Chris bit the termite's antenna, freeing himself. Martin was grabbed, leaving the backpacks behind.

"Help!" Martin shouted. He had left behind his suit and disks.

"Let me go!" said Chris, who once again have been grabbed.

"Leave me alone!" cried Mina, grabbed by the termites as well. She could not use her powers to free herself. She was still very weak… but strong enough to levitate. Soon, Mina had an idea.

Using the little bit of strength she had, she levitated her bro's CPS and a disk.

"Right disk! Termite Power Suit. If it worked with Aviva, it can work with me."

She put the suit on, even with a little difficulty. "Activate Creature Power Suit!"

By activating the suit, Mina found herself in a pink termite suit. Using her antennae, she signaled for the termite to release her.

"Nice. First time I use a power suit and i'm already getting the way of it."

She looked around. Only grass. The termites were gone. Which way now?

"I know! I'll find them with termite power!" She lift up her antennae and heard her brothers' screams.

Chris' suit had deactivated and he couldn't free himself again.

Mina saw a buzz bike on the way. "Well, Chris's buzz bike still works." She took everything to there and climbed up the vehicle. "To the Kratts Rescue! And my hairclips."

* * *

Following her brothers' screams, Mina ended up in the termites' mound.

"Wow, It's huge!" she said admired. "Amazing how these mounds are built. According to my brothers, termites build mounds packing together pieces of dirt, and adding their special saliva, to make it harden like "concrete". I don't know what concrete is, so I think it's hard as the columns of my temple," Mina said, remembering what her brothers taught her, as she entered with the buzz bike.

Suddenly, Mina's antennae vibrated again. The screams were close.

"Let me go! I know kickboxing!" Chris said, trying to free himself

"Not that much. Remember that time you fought against the Roo Boss?" Martin said.

Mina signalized for a termite with her antennae.

"Time to be the creature! As Martin says," Mina laughed.

The termites understood her message, and led her through a tunnel where they kept their food. There, the Kratt bros were released.

"Bros!" Mina ran to hug them. "I'm so glad you are OK!"

"Awww… you look so cute as a termite," Martin praised, with his eyes glowing.

"Boys, can you hear us?" Koki's voice was heard. It was Mina's Creaturepod.

"Good to see you all," the nymph girl said.

"Are you guys okay?" Koki asked. "I couldn't contact Martin and Chris' Creaturepods."

"We had a little problem with the rain. Long story…" Martin said.

"We're fine, Koki. We are in a termite mound, and we just need to find my hairclips!" Mina said.

"Aww, you sure make a cute termite!" Aviva said.

"Yeah, you look so cute," Koki said.

Mina blushed at all those compliments.

"Wait till I finish repairing the walrus suit that Chris jammed in the Arctic. Soon as I fix it, you can keep it," Aviva said.

"Cool. You told me once about that suit," Mina laughed.

"And you're not the only one to get excited about your own CPS. I know someone who was as excited as you," Martin said.

"Who?" Mina said.

"We'll explain later. Now, what we need is to find the hairclips. We'll call ya later, guys," Chris said, before Mina shut off her Creaturepod.

She smelt the flower scent again.

"My hairclips. Over there!" They ran through the tunnels, until they entered another food reserve.

"I found them!… But I'm feeling kinda weak to levitate them. The little bit of power i had i used to levitate Martin's suit, the Termite Power Disk and the backpacks in the buzz bike."

"Buzz bike?" Chris asked. "I thought it had been destroyed."

"Martin's buzz bike was, but yours was intact when I found it, Chris," Mina said.

Suddenly, the earth started shaking.

"What's that?"

"Aardvark alert!" Chris said

"Let's get out of here!" Martin said, running to a tunnel and being followed by his siblings.

"Aaah! What is that?" Mina felt something sticky grabbing her. The aardvark's tongue! "Help!"

"Mina!" Chris and Martin tried to hold her legs and get her out of that sticky situtation, but they also ended up stuck.

Martin succeded in freeing himself, clinging to a nearby stalactite.

"Martin! Take the hairclips to the buzz bikes! I have an idea!" Chris said.

Mina tried to free herself from that sticky situation, until she saw the green glow of her brother's Power Suit. Once again, he was in his T-Devil power suit.

"Looks like I had some T-Devil fur left," Chris said, biting the aardvark's tongue.

The huge tongue just carried them a lot faster.

"If your plan was freeing us like this, I think it didn't worked," Mina said.

"Oh, but it did work!" Chris grabbed a stalactite tightly with his claws and curled his tail around Mina, freeing both of them.

"We did it!" Chris celebrated. Mina jumped on his lap, kissing his cheek.

"My hero!"

"You did it!" said Martin, arriving in the buzz bike, with the haipclips and backpacks.

"The coast is clear. Let's get outta here!" Chris and Mina climbed on the bike and left the mound, heading back to the Tortuga.

* * *

In the Tortuga, once back to normal size, Mina allowed Chris to put the hairclips back on her hair.

"Mission accomplished," Martin said. "We recovered Mina's hairclips."

"And we got back to the HQ, safe and sound." Chris said, with Mina on his lap.

"And I have something to tell Mother Nature. Better saying… we both have."

Luna came to write the lesson in a new letter to Mother Nature. "Speak up."

 _"Dear Mother Nature, today Chris and I discovered that we both were afraid to talk openly with each other,"_ Mina started. _"Sometimes fears like this can prevent people from understanding each other completely."_

 _"We also discovered that we don't need to be afraid of talk to our siblings. A brother or sister always think about us with kindness. And if we give the chance to talk, we can live and understand each other better and better, each and every day,"_ Chris said, holding his little sister's hands.

"Your loyal guardians, Chris and Mina Kratt." They said, holding Chris's medallion and one of Mina's hairclips on the letter, stamping their symbols. The owl left the HQ, carrying the valuable lesson.

* * *

That night, the Kratt Bros were asleep in the trees again. Mina watched the stars, thinking of her sister.

"Oh, Flora… I just wish you could see how my brothers are amazing… as you were …"

Then she looked at her brothers.

Chris woke up, feeling something climbing on his hammock.

"Mina? Had a nightmare?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"No, I just wanted to be close to you," she said softly. "You know, after what we've been through today… I think I want to spend a few nights sleeping with you. I mean… you wouldn't mind if i did this, right? "

Chris smiled and hugged her. "My hammock is always at your service, little sister. Always." He kissed her little forehead and pulled her close, lying both of them in the hammock. Both quickly fell asleep, smiling.

It took the Missing Hairclips to join two siblings that didn't understood each other… and they hoped that nothing could ever separate them after that.

Nothing.


	5. Episode 06: Karma Chameleon

In the Tortuga, Mina was enjoying some songs from her Creaturepod, spinning and floating.

"What are you going to show Mina today? You'll take her to visit Blur again?" Koki asked.

"Nah. We have a surprise for her." Martin said.

"We'll take her to see one of her favorite animals." said Chris, whispering. "One that we've seen before, but this one is a different species."

"Mina, have you packed everything?" Said Martin. Mina turned to them and landed.

"Yup." she said, showing them her new backpack. "Also, my new Creature Power Suit is ready to be tested. Thanks again, Aviva." The nymph smiled. Aviva finally succeded in repairing that suit Chris jammed in the Arctic (Polar Bears Don't Dance, pilot episode). Now, Mina had her own suit.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Wait, Mina! Before you go, let me fix your hair. Dancing like that, you messed him up again." Koki laughed, with a brush on her hand.

While she combed the nymph's hair, Martin and Chris verified their backpacks. Koki made two pigtails on Mina's long black and white hair.

"I'm taking the medallions too. Africa is a very good place for training." The nymph said. "Ciao." She said, running to reach her big brothers.

What Mina said made sense: they needed to practice their Nature Guardian powers.

"Where are we going, guys?" Mina asked.

"Oh, it's a surprise, Mina." Chris said. "You'll see once we get there."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a pink plane, Donita Donata observed lizards in a book.

"Hmm…so many lizards…so many choices for my new fashion statement…what's that?"

She read something about lizards changing colors.

"I-DE-A! Chameleon Dresses! Each color for a different occasion. No need of changing clothes! Dabio, let's find ourselves all the chameleons in Africa!" She said, laughing, being joined by Dabio.

* * *

"Ready, sis?" Chris asked, seeing Mina blindfolded by her pigtails.

"Well, you said the animal you're going to show me changes color, has a curly tail and a long tongue." Mine remembered.

Suddenly, she felt something rise in his arm. "It's a reptile and … is climbing on my arm …" She took her pigtails off her face to see if it was what she thought.

"No way …"

"Ta-Da! A chameleon." Martin said.

"You knew how much I wanted to see a real one!" Mina said, excitedly. "I remember my sister telling me about them…that during the age of Gaia, there were many in the forest. I also read about your Chameleons on Target adventure, and this made me even more curious. How they change color like that?"

Chris used his Creaturepod to explain this to his sister.

"Chameleons camouflage themselves in a variety of different ways but most famously by changing the colour and pattern of their skin. Most chameleons can change colour and they do this by expanding or contracting cells in their skin that contain different pigments. They can blend into their surroundings by altering the colour of their skin to match the background. "

"This is called mimicry." Martin said.

"We learned about it with Spot-Swat once. And that day was the premiere of the Cheetah suit." He remembered.

"Cheetah cubs have black and white stripes on the back to mimic a Honey Badger. This confuses predators, because the Honey Badger is one of the toughest animals in Africa, and they think twice before attacking." Chris said, showing on his Creaturepod

"Yeah, I remember when I saw him and Blur for the first time. You haven't told me about that color pattern." Mina said. Then she saw the chameleon walking slowly on her big brother's arm.

"He is very calm."

"And I've seen better dancers." Martin said, as they watch the chameleon move, slowly.

"Although he moves slowly, he can extend his long tongue at an impressive speed." Chris said.

"His tongue can reach a little less than 1 meter and has a sticky tip so he can catch insects like flies and moths." Martin said as Chris showed some chameleons on the Creaturepod.

"An amazing karma." Aviva said, as she called the brothers.

"Karma?" Mina asked.

"Karma is a word meaning the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect. According to the theory of Karma, what happens to a person, happens because they caused it with their actions. " Koki explained. "Literally, it would mean "action"."

"Hmmm…Karma Chameleon." Mina giggled. "That's how we gotta call him. Karma, karma, karma, karma, Karma Chameleon…" She chanted.

"*giggle* Then Karma Chameleon it is." Martin agreed.

"Chameleons are beautiful … except for the eyes." Mina said, looking at the chameleon. "Why he looks sick?"

"He's not sick, silly." Koki said. "They are covered with a large eyelid, that only shows the iris and pupil. Chameleons eyes can move independently in any direction. Although it seems weird it helps the reptile in time to catch their prey."

"Oh, if I had a vision like that, it would be really easy guarding the temple." Mina said. Then she tried to imitate the chameleons' eyes, staring with her own eyes to all directions. Chris and Martin burst inot laughter.

Donita was nearby, with her radar. "Hmm…bushes, bushes and more bushes. This thing must be defective." She complained, not finding any of the signs that her radar showed.

"What's that?" Dabio heard some voices.

"Well, well, well." Donita said. "The Kratt brothers. But who is with them?"

* * *

"Guys, I'll make some chameleon disks." Aviva said, running to her computer.

"Cool. Then I'll be able to roll my eyes." said Mina

"Wow, you're pretty excited." Chris said.

"Just like Clarissa." Martin remembered. He sighed. "I miss her."

"Who?" asked Mina

"Oh, yeah. We haven't told you about her." Aviva said. "Clarissa is the bros' little sister. I gave her one of my first Creature Power Suit prototypes. Even though I said that the boys's suits were prototypes actually I built many others before the official suits."

"Now i'm curious about her." Said Mina

"Don't worry, sis, perhaps one day you'll meet her." Martin said.

"Besides her, they also have two other sisters, Christine and Susan. But we never met them." Jimmy said.

"It's because they went to live with Dad when we were young." Chris explained. "Since then, we lost contact with them."

"Gee, how sad …"

Mina felt something climbing her head. It was Karma.

"Hey, Karma. Show me how you change color." Mina said, using her ability to speak with animals. Luckily, she had a good night of sleep.

Chris activated his medallion to understand what he was saying, being imitated by Martin.

"Like this." Karma said. changing to pink, Mina's favorite color, then to green and blue.

"What a bootlicker." Martin said, and everyone laughed.

Suddenly, he changed to green and climbed Chris's suit. "Unlike what some people say, although his natural camouflage have several purposes, the main function of the color change is to alert their neighbors that danger is near. Am i right, Karma?" Chris asked.

"Wait, if he changed color now, there must be danger nearby." Martin thought.

"What's this smell?" Mina sniffed. Her smell was super sensitive. It was perfume.

"Perfume. French Perfume" Chris sniffed.

"Only one person uses this kind of thing: Donita!" Martin said.

"Lady Crazy-Clothes."

"Oh yeah. You told me about her when I lost my hairclips. Wait, Chris, you said you dreamed about her kidnapping me." Mina said.

"Wait … Oh my gosh! It's happening like my dream." Chris pulled Martin close, panicking.

"Calm down, bro." Martin said, as Chris tried to calm down

"Get thet chameleon, Dabio!" Donita shouted on his back. He opened the bag to capture the reptile

"Run!" Martin yelled, and they all start running back to the Tortuga.

"Who's that big guy?" Mina asked, in Martin's back.

"Dabio, Donita's goofball sidekick." Chris said.

"Karma, are you okay?" Mina asked.

"I think so. Gosh, that was scary." Karma replied.

"Wow, this Donita is weird." Mina said, looking back. "And has a very bad taste to clothes." Chris tried to hide his laughter.

"You haven't saw what she did to me once!" said Martin, looking back

"Darn. We lost one!" Donita said. "You incompetent! I need all chameleons in the forest." Suddenly, she had an idea. "Hmm … if we can't catch it, we can lure him to us." She smiled.

* * *

In the Tortuga, Mina couldn't believe what her brother just told her.

"Ewww! She made you wear THIS?" Mina asked, loking at the horrible outfit Donita mde Martin wear.

"Si. We kept this outfit because I thought i could make a better use of this fabric." Aviva said.

"Thankfully, Karma is here, safe and sound. Maybe he can help you with the chameleon suits, Aviva." Martin said, with Karma on his hands.

"Yeah…if he could show me how his color change ability works, I can program this into the Creature Power Suits." Aviva said, carrying Karma to her desk.

"Wow, that race messed up your pigtails. How many times you'll mess up your hair until the end of the week?" Koki commented, combing Mina's hair.

"Uh…can i tell you in the end of the week? Besides, I had to escape from Madam Crazy-Clothes's claws!" Mina said, removing her hairclips.

"That was a close one." Chris said. "Strange…it's happening just like my dreams…is it coincidence?" He thought.

"Maybe it's your Premonition Power." Luna said, entering the Tortuga, thorugh a portal.

"Luna!" The crew cheered.

"Mother Nature's portals sure work pretty well." Mina said. That was how Luna was able to find the Tortuga, no matter where it were.

"Totally. But as I said before, former Nature Guardians received special powers, besides understanding creatures and controlling the elements."

Luna explained.

"Chris must have received Premonition Power. A very unique ability for the Earth Guardian."

"Now that's interesting." Chris said, approaching Luna.

"So that must be why Chris had this dream. His Premonition Power warned him that this would happen." Martin concluded.

"Such a pretty cool thing. I wonder if one day we'll be able to do something like this." Jimmy wondered.

"Maybe not the same thing, but you all must be alert to your new abilities. They can appear any day." Luna warned.

Suddenly, the "sprigs" on Martin's head started twitching. "What the…?" Martin asked himself.

Suddenly, they heard the alarm. "Intruder in the Tortuga!" Koki said.

"Dabio!" Aviva said, looking up.

Dabio fell from the shell's opening. The moment he landed, Martin's "sprigs" stopped twitching.

"Hmm … twitchy sprigs, things start falling…Cool. I'll call this… my "Kratt Sense"!"

Dabio stood up, and grabbed Mina. "Yikes! Help!" Then, he pushed the Kratt bros and left the Tortuga, heading to Donita's plane.

"He took Mina!" Chris said, furiously. "What Donita's planning to do with her?" Koki asked.

"Guys, the chameleon discs are ready!" Aviva said. "This time, we'll go with you!" She and Koki putted on their Creature Power Suits. "We want to have a taste of "creature adventuring"!" Koki said.

"I'll be in the Tortuga, i rather be your mannequin than Donita's." Jimmy said, with his controller on his hands.

"Good point, Jimmy. Probably she'll make our little sister her new mannequin!" Martin panicked.

"So let's save her with chameleon powers!" Chris said.

* * *

"I've been warned about you, lady." Mina said, paralyzed by Donita's mannequin pose beam. "What do you want with me? You like freezing people for fun?"

"You'll make such a perfect mannequin!" Donita said, looking at Mina. "So your name is Mina. Nickname for Wilhelmina. Too aristocratic for a pauper like you." She mocked. "But that's gonna change, when you'll show the world my new color-changing chameleon dresses."

"What?!" Mina shouted, angrily.

"That's right, Wilhelmina, with your help, I'll sell them all tonight, and then I'll be crowned Queen of Fashion!" Says Donita laughing

"More like Queen of Trash-ion!" Mina said. "I know my brothers and sisters will not let that happen!"

"What brothers and sisters?" Donita asked.

"Us!" Koki said, entering by the window with Aviva. "And us!" Chris and Martin said, entering by another window.

"I knew you would come!" Mina smiled.

"You're too late, children." Donita said, grabbing Mina. "She will be my new model, and these chameleons will be my new fasion trend!"

"I'll never be your model! Let me go!" Mina shouted, trying to escape Donita's arms.

"Chameleons should live free and in the wild!" Chris said.

"And Mina should live free and with the Wild Kratts!" Martin said.

"Dabio! Get them!" Donita ordered.

"Activate Creature Power Suits!" The team said, activating their chameleon powers.

"Hey, Dabio. Come and get me!" Martin mocked, calling Dabio's attention. Then, using his camouflage power, he leaned into the wall.

"Where'd he go?" Dabio wondered.

"Woo-hoo." Koki said, camouflaging her orange chameleon suit quickly.

"Hey, Donita." Aviva said, calling Madam Crazy-Clothes's attention.

While they were distracted, Chris freed Mina and helped her wearing and activating her Creature Power Suit.

"Succesive test! Time to use the tongue feature." Chris said, pressing a button on his suit. Mina pressed a button on her suit as well, and they stuck their chameleon tongues on Donita's high heels, making her fall.

"What just happened?" Donita asked herself. Aviva and Koki did the same to Dabio and made him fall upon Donita.

"Let's get the chameleons out of here!" Mina said.

"Let's go, Wild Kratts!" Martin said, opening the bag where the chameleons were.

They all escaped from the pink plane and ran on the Tortuga's direction. "Too far. We'll never be able to reach the…" Chris was saying, holding some chameleons, until a shadow covered them. The Tortuga!

"Want a ride?" Jimmy dropped some ropes to them.

"You rule, Jimmy!" Mina smiled.

* * *

"Dear Mother Nature…" Mina started speaking, as Luna wrote the letter. "Today, my big brothers took me to take a closer look on one of my favorite animals: chameleons. I learned about how their camouflage is essential to their survival. Oh, and also, my brothers discovered some of their new abilities as Nature Guardians."

The sprigs of Martin's hair suddenly started twitching again. He pulled Mina to the side, kepting her from being hit with a box.

"Oops. Sorry." Jimmy apologized.

"it's ok, Jimmy. This is for her after all" Aviva said.

"What is it?" Mina wondered. Opening the box, she saw a beautiful yellow and white dress.

"Me and Koki finally found a way of using all that fabric." Aviva said.

"Beautiful! Thanks, girls!" Mina said, holding the dress.

"It looks a lot better than it looked before." Martin said, laughing.

"Truth." Chris agreed.

"Well, as i was saying …" Mina continued. "It was quite an adventure. We'll keep an eye on new abilities and/or new disorders on the natural order of things. From Nature Guardians' Protector and dearest daughter, Wilhelmina Kratt."

She was about to stamp her symbol with one of her hairclips, when she saw that she had grabbed Karma.

"Surprise." Karma said.

Everyone laughed, as the chameleons observed the Tortuga from the outside.


	6. Episode 07: My Little Bite-Size

The Tortuga was flying around the North American forest. Jimmy was preparing once again his famous brownies.

Koki looked around, while piloting. She landed the Tortuga and looked around in the window.

"Come on… where are you?" She seemed worried with something or someone.

In the Garage, the Kratt Bros were fixing the Createrra XT, while Mina read the Wild Kratts Diary.

Some mosquitoes were entering the Garage and bothering them.

Martin tried catching some, until he felt a slap on his neck.

"Ouch! Hey!"

"Sorry. There was one right there," Chris said.

Suddenly, Mina and her brothers smelled something good.

"Ooo! Looks like Jimmy made his famous brownies again," Martin recognized that sweet smell anywhere.

"Too bad I'll never be able to taste them. You know, there is milk on the recipe, and I'm a vegan," Mina said. Koki entered the Garage, tip-toeing until Mina noticed her.

"Oh, hi, Koki. What are you doing?"

"Um… well…" She grabbed something and left the Garage. "Sorry, gotta go!"

"Geez, she sure left in a hurry," Martin observed.

"What's up with her?" Chris wondered. "Not only on this moment, but during all day. I mean, she insisted in bringing the Tortuga to the forest. Just when a storm is coming. Why?"

Martin's belly rumbled. "Can we find out later? The only storm I want to prevent now is the one in my stomach." He headed to the main room, being followed by Mina.

"Hey, wait for me!" Chris shouted.

* * *

In the Tortuga's shell, Koki observed the sky. She seemed very worried. Gray clouds approached as the sun set on the horizon. Jimmy Z brought some brownies for her, being followed by the crew.

"Wow. I can see the sunset from here. It's beautiful," Mina said.

"The best place in the forest. It brings me lots of memories," Jimmy said, while putting the brownie dish on the floor. Suddenly, when no one was looking, something entered the Tortuga and hid in the brownies. Jimmy just noticed when he saw something moving in the dish.

"Yikes! Something is moving in the brownies!" he shouted.

They all gathered around the dish. Koki knelt to take a better look, and smiled at what she saw.

"Oh, get out of here, Bite-Size. Brownie dish isn't a place for a bat." She extended her hand to the dish.

Who was hiding in there WAS Bite-Size, who recognized the Tortuga and was searching for a place to stay. He flew to Koki's hands, squeaking.

The crew gathered around her, cheering and saying hello and "hola" to the little brown bat.

"Welcome back, little buddy," Martin said.

"Oh… so that's why you brought us here," Chris understood, looking at Koki. She blushed. "I should have known better."

"Mina, this is Bite-Size. He's a brown bat." Koki showed the brown bat to her little sister. "Don't need to be scared."

"Scared? Hello! I'm a nymph!" Mina chuckled. "I don't get scared with animals. Well, not always. Besides, he's too adorable to be scary," she said in a baby voice, caressing his head with her thumb.

"I saw about the storm, and then I thought we should come to the forest to see how's he doing. You know… I really love him," Koki said.

"That's not what she said bef…" Jimmy was saying, until Aviva shut his mouth.

"Don't bring that up!" she said.

"It's sure good to see you're doing fine," Chris said. The mosquitoes appeared again and Bite-Size started flying around the crew, eating the bugs.

"Wow. He's pretty fast," Mina noticed, while spinning around to follow his movements. Suddenly, they all heard a thunder. Mina and Bite-Size stopped, and hid behind Martin and Koki, scared.

"Uh-oh. Storm coming!" Koki said. "Everybody in, now! Close the windows and doors!"

They all entered the Tortuga and locked everything before it started raining.

"There you go, Bite-Size." Koki showed him his bat box. Now, it was painted orange and brown.

"Oooh! Pretty!" Mina said, while the bat stopped in front of his bat box.

"How did you guys meet him?" Mina asked. "I just noticed that this story isn't in the Wild Kratts Diary."

"Um…" Koki hesitated in telling what happened, but then she looked at Bite-Size. "Well… you would end up knowing anyway. I haven't wrote the story… cause I was feeling guilty."

"Guilty? Why?" Mina asked, surprised.

"Well…" Koki started telling everything, while Bite-Size flew to her shoulder.

* * *

 _"We met him while we were driving our buzz bikes around the forest. He was hunting mosquitoes, and ended up hiding in Jimmy's brownies, just like today._

 _When we discovered him, we all got scared. Well, except for the Kratt brothers._

 _Jimmy and Aviva changed their minds about bats quickly… but not me. During all that story, I was mean, stubborn and a total jerk!_

 _I just realized how awful I was being when the Bats lost their lair during a storm. If only I haven't acted like that… maybe Bite-Size and the boys wouldn't have to run the risk of getting hurt … or worse._

 _Luckily, the boys were a step ahead of us. We sent a bat box plan for all the Wild Kratts Kids around, and the bats ended up safe and sound."_

She finished the tale, looking at her bat box. "And even after everything i did and said… Bite-Size came to live with me… with us."

* * *

"Wow…" Mina was shocked.

"I know… I still feel a little guilty about all that incident. I refused to give a chance to bats, and I ended up getting them into trouble." Koki said. "But not anymore. Bite-Size here will be safe and sound with us."

Suddenly, another thunder was heard. Mina freaked out and ran to her brothers' protective arms, while Bite-Size hid in the bat box, shivering in fear.

"Wow. It's raining pretty hard," Aviva observed through the window. Martin and Chris comforted Mina by howling lowly and caressing her hair.

Koki looked at the brown bat. He seemed really scared. "The last time must have left him traumatized." She kissed her thumb and caressed Bite-Size's head.

"It's okay, my little Bite-Size. I'm here. I'll never let anything happen to you. Ever."

* * *

Far away from there, Donita's pink plane landed in the forest.

"Rain… it had to rain?! It was bad enough not having anything new to show in Paris, now it's raining and we can't even go there," Donita complained, while Dabio closed the windows.

A brown bat entered when Dabio wasn't looking and landed on Donita's hair.

"AAAGH! Dabio, get this monster off me! Get it off!" she yelled, panicking.

The bat got scared and started flying around. Dabio tried to get it, destroying everything in his way. Soon, Donita got tired of that and used her pose beam to stop the bat.

She looked at the animal, and it didn't took long for her to have an idea.

"Wait… that's it!" she shouted. "Bat barettes! A brand new Donita design!" She chuckled evilly.

* * *

Back in the Tortuga, Mina yawned. The rain outside, plus the warmness of her big brothers' hug quickly made her sleep.

"Awww… can she get even cuter than this?" Martin said, while playing with her hair.

Jimmy held her carefully. Mina was light as a feather and pretty as a flower.

"*giggle* I always wanted to know what it's like to have siblings…" he said, chuckling.

Koki knocked on the bat box. Bite-Size looked outside to see his friend holding a jar with mosquitoes that she caught around the HQ.

"Dinner time, Bite-Size," she said with a baby voice, and opened the jar, releasing the mosquitoes. Bite-Size flew around her, eating all of them.

"You were starving, weren't you?"

Chris looked at Koki. Suddenly, she seemed to be a little _too_ worried about their bat friend.

"Call me silly, but I think this thing with Bite-Size might be going to Koki's head."

"You may be right… silly," Martin agreed, secretly mocking Chris.

"Uh, Koki… you really think you should feed him like this?" the Kratt in green asked.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, he could get the mosquitoes by himself. He can echolocate them, you know."

"Yeah, maybe… but…"

"It's stopping to rain. Should we let Bite-Size go now?" Aviva asked.

"No! I-I mean, not now. It's still raining and…there might be predators and…" Koki tried to argument.

"And he has nature's know-how. He always finds a way to make it out there," Martin said.

Koki thought about that. Even though the boys had a point… she still felt guilty about last time, and she didn't wanted anything to happen to him again.

"No. I can't let him go! My little Bite-Size can get hurt, and i'm not letting this happen!"

"Okay, Koki Bambrick! That's enough!" Chris shouted, really upset. "Bite-Size may be your friend, but he's still a wild creature, that must live free and the wild! That's where he belongs! Honestly…someone that doesn't understand the value of freedom shouldn't be even a member of this team!"

Koki gasped at that words. Aviva and Martin gasped as well. Jimmy's gasp made Mina wake up.

Chris looked back at the shocked stares. "Uh-oh…"

Koki didn't knew what to say. She just left the place crying. The gang angrily stared at Chris after she left, except for Mina, who didn't understood what just happened.

Aviva turned her back to him and started working again on the Bat disk, and Jimmy kept polishing his controller, while Martin turned around to look around the forest.

"Nice job…Christopher." Martin said seriously.

Chris gulped. If his own brother called him by his full name, it surely meant he did something veeery wrong.

"Uh…what happened?" Mina asked. Chris looked at Mina, his eyes filled with guilt.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the garage, Koki was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and sobbing. Suddenly, she heard a squeak. Bite-Size found a way to enter the Garage and landed on Koki's knee.

She stared at him, her eyes filled with tears. "You…came to see how i was?"

Bite-Size flew to her face and touched her cheek with his muzzle, tasting one of her tears. It felt like he wanted to give his friend some comfort.

"Oh, sweetie…" She stood up and caressed the brown bat's head, once he stopped on her hand.

"Chris thinks that i don't respect your freedom…and that i shouldn't even be a member on the team." She said, with a sad tone. "Just because i want you to live with us. In the Tortuga, where you would never lose your lair again…"

Suddenly, something came to her mind. "Hmm…you know, that's a good question: how do you survive on a place where you can lose your lair so quickly?" This gave her an idea.

Once she was certain that Jimmy was the only one in the room, Koki sneaked in and grabbed her Creature Power Suit and the Bat Power Disk. She was sure that Aviva had finished upgrading it. Then, she returned to the Garage, where she left her backpack.

"If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen." She said, activating the Miniaturizer.

Once she was miniaturized along with her backpack, she activated her Bat Power Suit.

"Wow…i do look cool as a bat." She said. "Well, let's get going, bat friend! Show me the way!" They escaped through a window and ran away from the Tortuga. But in the hurry to leave, Koki forgot her Creaturepod on the Garage.

Chris was lying on his hammock, while speaking with Mina.

"Oh, Mimi…i said something unforgivable. What Mom said once sure was right: words can hurt. I guess Koki will never speak to me again."

"There, there…" Mina patted her big brother's head. "You're tecnically right about the wild creatures' freedom rights, but Bite-Size really seemed to like living with Koki. They surely share a bond like i never saw on my life."

"You may be right…still, i wish i haven't said that." Chris felt terrible, as he left the hammock and entered the HQ, followed by his little sister.

"Speak with her. I'm sure she'll forgive you." She assured him.

At that moment, Aviva entered the room, and saw that her Bat Power Disk was gone.

"Hey! Where's the Bat Power Disk? I haven't finished upgrading it yet!"

"Don't look at me. I just got in." Chris said. "Wait, where's Koki's…Creature Power Suit?"

They looked at each other. Something told them that they needed to find Koki.

* * *

Aviva, Chris and Mina entered the Garage to search for Koki, but they only found her Creaturepod…and the Miniturizer, still activated.

"Oh, no. OH, NO! She ran away! With Bite-Size!" Aviva shouted desperately, once she saw the opened window.

"And she left the Creaturepod here…so we couldn't find her…" Chris felt his legs tremble, and knelt on the floor. "This is all my fault…if only i hadn't said that…" Mina looked at the opened window, then she heard another thunder.

* * *

Koki flew around, admiring the view.

"Woo-hoo! Bat powers are awesome! Can't believe I didn't wanted to try it before." She heard a thunder. "Wow. Is it going to rain again?"

Bite-Size flew down to a tree, and Koki followed him.

"Good idea. How about a break?" She stopped close to him.

"There! BATS! GET THEM!" A voice was heard by them. Koki gasped. She recognized that voice.

"Uh-oh!" Koki said, once she saw Donita and Dabio running against her and Bite-Size. "Trouble! RUN!"

They flew away from there quickly, allowing Dabio to knock his head on the tree.

"Get them! I want that bats!" Donita shouted.

"Phew! That was a close one." Koki said, landing on another tree. Then, she saw her belly was rumbling. "I'm hungry. But no way i'm eating mosquitoes. Hmmm…this asks for some echolocation."

She used her echolocation power and found some berries to eat.

* * *

Later, in a branch, Bite-Size was flying around eating bugs, and Koki was eating all the berries she could get.

"Ah…that's surely a life for me." Koki said. "Flying around the forest, eating fruits...and not being judged in any way. No complains...no bossing around..." She rested her head on her backpack and a photo of the team came out of it.

She looked at the picture: The whole team seemed so…happy…

"No friends...no family...no...home..."

Koki sighed sadly. Maybe running away to live with Bite-Size wasn't such a good idea after all…

"Guess I was really impulsive, huh?" Bite-Size looked at her, receiving a calm rub on his head.

A "hoo hoo" interrupted Koki's thoughts. A barn owl just spotted the two bats in the branch and it was flying toward them.

"*gasp* Run, Bite-Size!" Koki looked up just to see that he wasn't in the branch anymore. She flew away from there before the owl could grab her.

"Bite-Size! Where are you?!" She looked for her friend, while the owl flied after her.

Koki heard a squeak and spotted Bite-Size, in a hole in an old tree. She flew to there, escaping from the owl.

"Phew! That was REALLY a close one! Being chased by Donita is easy, but by a barn owl…" She said, breathless. Then, she looked around: there, staring at her, were lots of bats. They were all females with pups.

She heard another thunder, and looked outside. "Wow. It really did start raining again! Bite-Size? Where are you going?" She asked, looking back and seeing her bat friend flying toward a certain spot on the place.

Then, Koki remembered something. "Oh, duh! Why i haven't thought about this before?" She grabbed her orange necklace, and activated her power of understanding animals.

Bite-Size landed close to two female bats and a little pup.

"So…how are you today, little one?" Bite-Size asked.

"*yawn*…i'm okay." The pup said, in a cute girl voice.

"Awww…cute! She's your daughter?" Koki asked.

"No…she's an orphan." Bite-Size answered sadly.

"Her mother was hunted by that owl!" One of the females said. "We're taking care of her until she's strong enough to fly for herself."

"Poor little one…" Koki felt sad about her, and caressed the little one's head. Bite-Size wrapped his wings around the little one, as she held tightly on his body.

"Yeah...definately wasn't a good idea." Koki sighed, as she looked outside. It was starting to rain.

* * *

In the Tortuga, Aviva worked on something to help Chris find Koki.

"There." Aviva said, showing the crew her new invention. "The Batronicus XT is done! I built it based on the Butterflier, with a few adaptations."

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Martin asked Chris.

"No, bro. It was my fault that Koki and Bite-Size ran away from the HQ. I acted like a jerk with them. So i'm the only one who can fix this." Chris said, determinated.

"Guys!" Jimmy called. "There's a weird signal coming from North! It's Donita's plane!"

"Oh, no! I don't know what she's planning, but as soon as i find Koki, we'll find out!" Chris said, while the Miniturizer worked.

"Good luck, bro." Martin said, saluting him and seeing him flying toward the door in the Batronicus XT.

"Watch out with the rain!" Aviva warned

* * *

Meanwhile, hanging upside down, Koki and Bite-Size slept comfortably, with Chirpelle (the name Koki gave to the bat pup) by their side.

Suddenly, they heard a thunder, and felt the tree tremble.

"Huh? Wha…what's that sound?!" Koki felt the tremors and woke up.

"Uh-oh. please don't be what i think it is…" Bite-Size and Koki looked from the hole, and saw that a lightning hit the tree.

"We're gonna fall!" Bite-Size shouted. Koki gasped. The other bats, who had woken up with the conversation, got scared and fell from where they were. Koki held Chirpelle firmly, as she leapt to fly, being followed by Bite-Size. They succeded in landing safely, before half of the tree fell on the ground.

"Oh, no. Not again." Koki said, staring at the homeless moms and at Bite-Size and Chirpelle. "Where you'll all live now?"

"There! Get them!" Donita's voice was heard by them.

"Oh, no! Donita's here"! Quick, moms and pups! Fly for your lives!" Koki shouted, as she started flying with her bat friend by her side, but they were all surprised by a pose beam.

"It might had costed me my beautiful hair…" Donita stared at her wet hair. "But i finally found the living jewels for my brand new collection!" She laughed evily, while Koki stared in terror.

* * *

Piloting the Batronicus, Chris searched for Koki around the forest.

"Gladly it stopped raining. But nothing yet. If only she hadn't left her Creaturepod back home…" Chris said.

"But she did took her Creature Power Suit with her. They all have a GPS." Aviva said.

"And we just detected her location!" Jimmy said. "*gasp* Uh-oh!" He said, as he sent the location to Chris's Creaturepod.

"Oh, no! Donita got her! I hope i'm not too late!" Chris said, accelerating the Batronicus.

* * *

Donita placed some glitter and little jewels on the paralyzed bats, while Koki tried to free herself from that pose beam and also free Bite-Size and Chirpelle.

"How can you be sad, when i'm gonna be the star on Paris? This gives me lots of ideas! Bat dresses, bat necklaces…even bat belts!" Donita chuckled evily, while Dabio brought more jewels. A bat squeaked, scaring him.

Koki saw that…and that scene gave her an idea.

"Wait…that's it! The upgrade Aviva made on the Creature Power Suit: amplified echolocation waves! Higher sounds, bigger waves…crushed pose beams!"

She took advantage of being paralyzed lying on her back and gave a really loud squeak. The echolocation waves came amplified and destroyed the pose beam, freeing her, Bite-Size and Chirpelle.

"Woo-hoo! It worked!" She celebrated.

"What?!" Donita heard Koki's voice and turned around. Koki used her echolocation noise to break all the pose beams, and free all the bat moms. They all flew away, letting the jewels and glitter Donita putted on them fall on the floor.

"No! My barettes! Don't let them escape!" She yeleed, running around to get the bats. At that moment, Chris entered the plane in the Batronicus.

"What the…" Chris looked around, seeing bats flying and Donita chasing them.

After flying in Bite-Size's direction, to see if Chirpelle was okay, Koki's suit started glitching and she ended up returning to normal in mid-air.

"Uh-oh!" She started falling. Bite-Size tried to reach her, but Chris's hand grabbed her quickly. Bite-Size flied toward the Batronicus, with Chirpelle holding his body. He was relieved that Koki was okay.

"You…came after me?" Koki asked.

"Sure i did. After all…you are a member of the team." Chris said, looking at her. Koki smiled. She tried to reactivate her suit, but it wasn't working.

"Aviva hadn't finished upgrading the Bat Power Disk. She needed to fix some bugs yet." Chris explained.

"I noticed. Look, Chris…i'm…" Koki was about to say something, until Donita tried to grab the Batronicus XT.

"Get…that…BATS!"

"*gasp* Hold on!" Chris said, piloting the Batronicus away from Donita.

"We need to open the plane's door, so the bats can escape!" Koki said.

"Oh…but i forgot the Miniaturizer back in the Tortuga. We're so tiny we're won't be able to…" Chris was saying, until he saw the Miniturizer appearing. Jimmy had teleport it to them.

"Nevermind. Thanks, Jimmy!"

"No problemo!" Jimmy said. Koki and Chris returned to normal size and opened the door.

"Fly away, little buddies!" Koki said. "Let's get out of here!"

All the bats escaped through the door, and Chris and Koki followed them. Donita stared at the open door angrily.

"That's it, fellas! Run back to your…lair…" Koki stopped. "I forgot. They don't have a lair anymore. Once again, a lightning destroyed it."

"Not for long. I'll call the Wild Kratts Kids and tell them to leave the bat boxes ready." Chris assured her.

"You two!" Donita shouted, freezing them with a pose beam. "You haven't destroyed ALL of my pose beams, kids. Now, Chris-angelo and Mrs. Bambrick, you shall be now my new models! I'm gonna take back my bats."

Bite-Size saw his friends in danger and that was enough for him to turn around to save them. He pressed a button on the Miniaturizer with his muzzle, when Donita wasn't looking.

"You're gonna be sorry if you touch any of them!" Koki shouted. "No way i'll wear any of your ugly designs!"

They heard a loud squeak and looked around. Bite-Size was a giant bat now. He squeaked loudly, breaking the pose beam and freeing Chris and Koki with his echolocation.

Donita stammered a bit, then fainted. Dabio carried her back to the plane, afraid of the giant bat. The pink plane lifted off, leaving the forest.

Koki and Chris laughed. "Jerks." She said. "Scared of a cute little bat. Better saying, a BIG cute little bat!" She chuckled as she readjusted the Miniaturizer to return Bite-Size to his normal size. Once she did, the brown bat flew around her, landing on her hands.

"Thanks, Bite-Size. You're my hero." She said, kissing her thumb and touching his head. Chris observed everything. He saw how much Bite-Size loved Koki.

"Chris…i'm really sorry." Koki said. "It wasn't really a good idea running away from my problems."

"I'm sorry too, Koki. If only i hadn't said those horrible things…" Chris hugged her. "I'm so glad you're okay. This was all my fault."

"Nevermind, Chris. Bite-Size and the other bats are okay, and that's what matters now." Koki said. "Now, let's get back home. We have another mission to accomplish."

* * *

In the Tortuga, Aviva sent a message to all the Wild Kratts Kids around the world.

"Leave your bat boxes ready, kids! You'll have visits!"

"Dear Mother Nature…" Chris started saying, as Luna started writing. "Today, an old friend of ours came for a visit. A very special friend that Koki didn't wanted to leave. I had to learn, in the hard way, that sometimes, words CAN hurt."

"And i learned why bats, even with all danger around them, remain on their habitat." Koki continued. "They have nature's know-how and with that, they always find a way to protect themselves, even finding places to hide quickly."

Their sppech were interrupted once Mina called their attention whistling. She pointed up to show…that Bite-Size returned to the HQ with Chirpelle.

"Hey, buddy! I'm glad you're okay. And Chirpelle, you're flying!" Koki said.

"Chirpelle just came to say "good-bye"." Mother Nature said, floating down to meet the Nature Guardians.

"Good-bye? They're leaving?"

"No, no, no…SHE's leaving. I think, even after everything…Bite-Size wants to live with you, Koki."

"*gasp* Really? But…but he's…"

"A wild animal. I know. But you show for him the same love and sense of responsibility that he shows for you. Both want to protect each other .It is a sense of loyalty like i never seen since the age of Gaia."

"Still don't know who's this Gaia…" Martin whispered to Mina.

"I'll tell you someday." Mina whispered back.

"A friendship that powerful should never be separated. Not even by me." Mother Nature smiled, as Bite-Size flew to her hand. "I need somebody with such loyalty between the Nature Guardians. And if you accept, little one, in return … I can give you the right to stay with the team. I guarantee you I will give you all the protection you need. What do you think?"

Bite-Size nodded, as Mother Nature touched his head with her hand.

"I must go now. I have some things to do in my temple. Good luck, young Bite-Size." Mother Nature waved to the team and the bat, before leaving through a portal, being followed by Luna, that was holding the letter that Koki and Chris just stamped their symbols.

"Well, Koki…looks like you just won a pet." Chris said.

"More than a pet, Chris. We have a new member on the team." Koki said, smiling. "Oh, Bite-Size, i'm such a lucky girl for having you as my friend."

"I'm the one who's lucky!" Bite-Size said, surprising them all and himself. Even Chirpelle was surprised. "Wait…did you guys heard that?"

"Bite-Size…you can TALK!" Koki said, cheerfully.

"We don't need our medallions to understand you now. You can speak human language!" Martin was as impressed as Koki.

"This just makes him even more special! Oh, my litlle Bite-Size…" Koki said, as he rubbed his head on her cheek.

"Well, your BATtitude really made a difference;" Jimmy said, pointing to the ceiling. They all went to the Tortuga's shell to say good-bye to Chirpelle and the other female bats. the bat pup chirped to them and turned around to follow the others.

"There's where they belong. Living free and in the wild." Koki said.

"Hey, that's my line!" Chris said.

"Not today." Koki answered. They all laughed, even Bite-Size.

The Tortuga crew just won a new member…and Koki finally eliminated all the guilt she had.

It was time to look at the future…to see what kind of adventures would be brought for the Nature Guardians.


	7. Episode 08: Tickets for Six

In the Tortuga HQ, that was in the city this time, Bite-Size, Mina and Luna were helping Jimmy Z to organize his controller collection.

"Gosh… how many controllers do you have, Jimmy?" Mina asked.

"Um…I lost count," Jimmy replied."All I know is that all of them were made by uncle Harry. I miss you, uncle. Ahem… he always made one for me, every year, on my birthday, and the X-2000 is the last one he made before retiring."

"Wow…" Luna said. "It is a huge collection."

"Yeah…" Jimmy said with a sigh.

Mina's stomach suddenly began to rumble… as did Jimmy's.

"I think it's time for us to have some lunch," Mina said.

Suddenly, a portal opened and a letter hit Luna's head.

"Ouch!" She rubber her head with her wings, then she looked at the letter. "Oh! A Letter from Mother Nature."

At that moment, the Wild Kratts entered the place, returning from the grocery store.

"Wow. We just got back and there's another mission for us," Chris said.

"Hmm… let's see…" Bite-Size opened the letter. "My dear Wilhelmina, you must know that your birthday is coming. But since you're now growing up as a human, you're about to turn 8 years old."

Martin smacked his forehead.

"Mother Nature's right! According to what Luna said once, your birthday is in like, three months!"

"Hmmm… so I'm sending you, as an early birthday present, two tickets for the Magical Mystery Gala." Bite-Size finished reading and grabbed the two tickets with his mouth.

"OOOH! The Magical Mystery Gala!" Luna and Mina said, excitedly.

"Huh?" The Wild Kratts looked at each other, confused.

"It's a long story…" Luna said.

* * *

"And that's all you gotta know about it." Luna said. The Wild Kratts were impressed with the tale.

"Oh, we forgot about the groceries. We have to put everything on its right place." Aviva remebered. The Wild Kratts stood up and left Jimmy, Mina, Luna and Bite-Size alone in the room.

"But wait…you have TWO tickets, Mina." Jimmy pointed out.

"Yeah…guess I need to bring someone…" Mina thought out loud.

"According to Luna, sometimes, there were people selling food and other things there." Jimmy said. "Going there, maybe…

 _I could sell some of my famous treats. Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Chiparoos… I'm sure everyone in the Gala would love them._

 _My grandma would surely want this: that everyone could try her delicious recipes._ "

"Well, Jimmy. You wanna go?" Mina asked.

"Would I!?" Jimmy replied enthusiastically.

Mina laughed. "Okay then… the ticket is-"

"One extra ticket?!" Chris popped his head in.

"Bro!? I thought you were putting away the groceries?"

"Oh uh well… we finished."

"Hey Chris! Where do the pickles go again?" Martin called from the main room.

Chris blushed. "Opps… eh-heh."

"Were you spying on us?"

"No I was just uh… well I heard you say something about having an extra ticket?"

"Uh… yeah…"

"Well, according to Luna's story…

 _every time there's a Magical Mystery Gala…_

 _"The Creature Adventurer Club members reunite there to tell about their amazing adventures. Adventurers from all times… Nick Baker, Bear Grylls, even Jean-Michel Cousteau, Jacques's son!_

 _This might be my chance of showing them all my skills. Who knows? Maybe they'll ask me to join their club!*squee*_ "

"Oh well, in that case… uh…" Mina started.

"Now wait a minute!" Jimmy interrupted, walking up to Chris. "That ticket is mine! I called it first!" he said, poking Chris in the chest.

"Oh yeah, and what do YOU plan on doing at it, huh?"

"I'm selling treats there, if you wanna know. Everyone there will love them!"

"Jimmy! This could be my one chance to become a creature SOMEONE, and you're throwing the ticket away on treats?!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, guys." Bite-Size tried to make them stop fighting.

"Yeah, these are my tickets. I can give to anyone i want. Let's see… whoever has the best reason to go should get the ticket, don't you think?" Mina said.

"I can show off my catering skills." Jimmy said.

"I could meet Jean-Michel Cousteau!" Chris pointed out.

"I could make Grandma's recipes famous!"

"I could BECOME famous!"

"Oh my, those were all pretty good reasons, aren't they? *stomach rumbles* Listen, i'm starving. I don't know about you, but I can't make important decisions on an empty stomach. I'm gonna eat something, then i'll talk you ya, okay?" Mina said.

"Fine." Jimmy and Chris said, not looking at each other.

Luna flew after Mina. "I think i may had told soo much…"

* * *

Mina walked into the Tortuga, preparing to make a sandwich from the new groceries.

"Nothing like a vegan thing for me."

She turned around and bumped into her big brother in blue. The two tickets blocked his view.

"Yikes! Who turned out the lights?! Who turned out the lights?!"

He tugged at what was causing it to be so dark off his face and realized what they were.

"O my gosh! You had an extra ticket?! You didn't tell me you had an extra ticket!

 _Luna said this party reunites all kinds of people. Allkinds of people must mean all kinds of fun! New friends, new adventures, new everything!_ I can't believe you're actually wanting me to go."

"Uh… Martin, actually…"

"Not so fast bro!"

Mina looked behind her.

"Chris! Were you following me again?!"

"No, I was following Jimmy over there so he wouldn't try any funny business at getting the ticket first!"

"*gasp* An extra ticket?" Koki saw the tickets on Mina's hand.

"Yeah, and she was giving it to me."

"No, she wasn't!"

"Don't tell me you…"

"Of course i wanna go.

 _Luna said that once the previous Nature Guardians were at the Gala, she helped one of them to find his family, that he haven't saw in years._

 _Maybe she'll be able to help me find my big brother again. We lost contact after i moved to live with my aunt. I don't remember much pof him…all i remember is that his name was Joey, and that he taught me lots of things i know._

Mina, i had to see my brother again. How could you?"

"Um… i haven't decided yet."

"You haven't?" Martin and Koki asked.

"No…. and….*stomach rumble* I can't think if I'm hungry! So can you please… let me eat first?"

"Um… Mina, i just noticed you have an extra ticket for the gala."

"Oh, please, not you too, Aviva."

"I would love to go there.

 _According to Luna, in Mother Nature's Mystic Garden, there are a huge number of critters and birds! And i love birds! This would inspire me a lot for new creature Power Suits…and maybe it would help me upgrading my dancing skills."_

"No way, Aviva! She's giving the ticket to me!" Koki said.

The team soon started arguing, and Mina got scared about that. Bite-Size hid behind Luna.

Finally Mina couldn't take it anymore.

"… STOP IIIIIIIT!" She shouted.

Everyone froze in their tracks.

"And i was like, "We're going now, we don't need the first aid kit, and then…" Martin was saying, until he noticed they all stopped talking. "Oh…"

"These are MY tickets. This is MY decision! And I can't think with all the yelling and arguing and especially on an empty stomach! So, could you please let me think about this!?"

Mina left the Tortuga floating, being followed by Bite-Size and Luna, while everyone turned their back, mumbling.

* * *

Mina was sitting under a tree at the park, close to a pond, not knowing what to do.

"*sighs* Guys, what am I gonna do? All of my new family members have really good reasons to go to the gala. Chris, or Jimmy? Martin or Aviva, Koki… Oh, who should go with me?"

Mina heard her stomach rumble again.

"Ugh! Maybe I should eat first before making any decisions.

"I think I saw a hot dog stand not far from here." Luna replied.

"Uh… Luna? I'm a vegan, remember? I don't eat meat. But if they have salad, i'll go there."

"You girls can go ahead. I think i'm gonna chase some mosquitoes i saw in the trees. Ciao!" Bite-Size said, flying toward the trees.

Mina giggled. "See ya!" She called as she walked over to the stand.

"Thank you, mister."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. But better not eat in the rain."

"But it's not…"

Mina looked around and saw it wasn't raining where she was. But around her… everyone had left because of the rain. She looked up and saw clouds.

"Hey, little cute-adorable sister!" Martin said, from the clouds. "Being Water Guardian has its benefits."

"Martin, what are you doing?" Mina asked in an annoyed tone.

"What? I'm just keeping my little sister out of rain. I saw you were about to get rained on so I jumped up here and popped a hole for ya."

"…You're not trying to get the ticket by doing unnecessary favors that you normally wouldn't do, are you!?" Mina asked with a slight growl.

"Who? Moi? No, no, no…"

"Listen, Martin, i'm not comfortable accepting unwanted favors, and Mother Nature surely wouldn't like seeing a Nature Guardian using its powers so selfishly, so I'd appreciate it if you close up that rain cloud right now."

"Um…okay."

Martin zipped it up, but he didn't give Mina warning, and soon the rain began to soak her head to toe…not to mention her salad.

"Hey, Mina, you don't wanna get a cold, do ya?" Koki approached her with an umbrella.

* * *

"Thanks, Koki." Mina said, once they returned to the Tortuga.

"No problem, sweetie. Where's Bite-Size?"

"I'm here, i'm here!" Bite-Size entered the Tortuga quickly, shivering. "Sorry. You know how i feel about rain and thunders."

"I sure do, fella. Wow, Mina, you're soaked. But don't you worry, i have the perfect thing for you."

Koki entered the Garage and brought lots of different fabrics.

After a short while, Koki finished making a new dress for her.

"Look at you now, sis. You look fabulous!"

"Yeah, thanks Koki." Mina thanked.

"I bet at that Gala, you'll be the prettiest nymph at the party. Everyone will want a piece of you." Koki said happily.

"Uh?" Mina looked at her.

"Oops."

"Koki, You're buttering me up so I give you the extra ticket. Well it's not gonna work. You're going to have to wait for my decision just like everyone else. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been trying all day just to get some lunch."

"Lunch, eh? No worries, little sister! The best chef in the Tortuga is at your service." Jimmy Z appeared and grabbed her by the hand.

"Jimmy!" Mina huffed, but it was no use.

"What the…"

"I got everything perfect for a vegan: tofu sandwich, broccoli guacamole, even vegan meatballs! Whatcha say, little sis?"

"No, no, NO! *grunts* I don't know who I'm giving the ticket to, and all these favors aren't making it any easier to decide. In fact, I'm less sure now than I was this morning."

"So…it's a maybe?"

Mina huffed and turned around to leave. She went outside.

"Wow…it sure was a short rain…" She observed.

Bite-Size flied out of the HQ. "Phew."

Mina turned around to see Aviva organizing all of her Creature Adventurer gear that her brothers gave her.

"Oh, not even you, Aviva."

"Oh, hey Mina. I saw that a lot of the gear was a little messy, so I decided to clean up a bit."

"Yeah…thanks, but…you're not doing this because of the ticket, are you?"

"Oh, no. Of course not. I'm just doing this because you're my cute little sister. I would have done this for any member of the team."

"Really? So why you haven't organized my brothers' things?"

"Um…bien…"

"Thanks a lot, Aviva, but I'm not accepting any extra favors until I've made my final decision, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave me alone to think." Mina said, with a stern look.

"Okay, sure…" Aviva said sadly, as she turned around to leave.

"*sigh* I hate getting this mad…but it's soo complicated…"

Mina saw some Wild Kratts Kids playing soccer with Chris.

"Hey, Mina! Wanna join us?"

"Um…okay, i guess."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me play, Chris. I needed something to keep my mind off all the favors." Mina said as she ran up to him as he kicked the ball.

"Come again?" Chris asked.

"Everyone's been doing me extra favors today just to get that extra ticket!" Mina complained.

"Really? Gosh…"

"What is she talking about?" Katie asked.

"Oh, it's just a ticket for a very cool gala where all creature adventurers will reunite!" Chris said.

"Really?!"

"What's going on?" Gavin asked.

"Chris here is going to meet all the great creature adventurers at this gala!" Katie replied.

"Really?!"

"What was that?" Ronan and Aiden asked running up.

"Uh-oh." Mina said, floating away from there. Chris observed her running away, with the kids running after her.

"Something tells me that it didn't work as i planned…" He said.

 ***BG music: Don't Bother Me - The Beatles***

Mina runned away and try to escape the kids and the other Wild Kratts, disguising herself and hiding in lots of places, being followed by Luna and Bite-Size.

Mina ran into her room and shut the door….only to find everyone in her room. (not Chris though, because he was trying to calm the Wild Kratts Kids down).

She saw everyone staring at her, and yelled desperately and angrily. She grabbed one of the tickets and ripped him in front of them.

"I'M NOT GOING, OKAY!? GO AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" She left the room, crying. Chris entered the room, after hearing Mina's angry shout. The Wild Kratts looked at the ripped ticket…and felt their hearts heavy as rocks.

* * *

Mina embraced her knees, silently sobbing on a tree branch. She felt terrible…not only for not being able to choose between their sisters and brothers, but for chosing the hard way to escape from that situation.

Suddenly, she felt a rustling on the trunk that made her look up, and felt a hand on her shoulder…Chris's hand.

"Hey…are you okay?" He asked uneasily.

"No! I can't decide, I just can't decide. It's important to all of you and I just can't stand to disappoint any of you, and giving me gifts and doing me favors won't make any difference, because you're all family and I wanna make you all happy and I can't, I just can't! So i rather not go to the…"

Her speech and tears were stopped when Chris showed her the ticket. The other Wild Kratts climbed up the tree.

"You HAVE to go to the Gala. It's your party…not ours. And we're very sorry." Aviva said.

"It was really stupid from our side acting that way." Koki said.

"We all got so excited about going to the gala that we couldn't see how un-excited we were making you." Martin said.

"Sorry, little sister." They all said. Mina smiled and wiped her tears.

"I'm sorry too. I wish i had a better idea than doing that…"

"But you were very upset at us, and we don't blame you." Chris said.

Mina smiled. Then, she looked at the ticket.

Mina suddenly gave a determined smile.

"I don't want it."

"HUH!?" Everyone shouted, surprised.

"If my family and brothers can't go to the gala, then I don't want to go either. Not only is it not fair, but it would just be plain selfish of me to do so. If we're gonna celebrate my birthday…i prefer celebrating with my family."

They all got reunited in a group hug. A portal opened and Mother Nature appeared in fron of them all.

"Mother Nature?" Luna said. "I was just going to tell Mina to write a letter to you."

"That is no need of this, Luna. Not this time." She said, with a serene voice. "Mina, don't you think you and your chosen friend should start getting ready for the gala?" She asked. "Preparing your suits for the great day, or something like this?"

"Um…" Mina showed her the ripped ticket. "Mom…i made a bad decision. But i also learned something: I've learned that one of the joys of having a family is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, though I appreciate the invitation, i'm afraid i won't be able to go to the Gala, for my 8th birthday."

Surprisingly, Mother Nature smiled. "Oh, Wilhelmina…why haven't you said before?" She placed her hand on Mina's hand, and turned the ripped pieces of the ticket…into six tickets!

The team gasped.

"Now we can all go!" Martin said happily.

They all celebrated. Suddenly, Mina's belly rumbled.

"Oops." Mina said, blushing.

"Don't worry, querida. We'll pay you dinner." Aviva said.

"It's the least we could do." Chris said. Mother Nature smiled and looked at Luna and Bite-Size.

"You knew she would prefer not going, right?" Luna said.

"Like they said once, Nature always finds a way to teach you a lesson." She said, chuckling, while observing they all go for dinner.


	8. Episode 09: Tazzy Martin

It was night in Tasmania. The Tortuga HQ landed close to some trees. Bite-Size, who was sleeping on the bat box, woke up yawning and started chasing bugs.

"Here we are, guys. Tasmania: home of our scavenger friends…" Koki said.

"The Tasmanian Devils!" the Kratt Bros celebrated. The picture of a Tasmanian Devil on the screen scared Bite-Size, and made him fly back to the bat box.

"Relax, silly. It's just a picture," Mina said, chuckling, and hugging a t-devil plush (the one Aviva used in Tazzy Chris).

The bat looked outside. "Um… I already knew that. Kinda," he said, trying to pretend he wasn't scared.

The Kratt siblings left the Tortuga with their Creaturepods.

"Also, that's the place where one of my favorite gitches on the Creature Power Suits happened," Chris said.

"It was great for you, but it was really scary for me," Martin replied. He seemed a little worried.

Mina giggled. "So, guys… are these t-devils are as cute as this cute little plush doll Aviva gave me?" she asked, hugging the T-Devil plush.

"Well, this doll is actually a representation of what a T-devil look like. See one for yourself, then take your conclusions." Chris winked at her. Then, he pressed a button on his Creaturepod, to localize the T-Devils.

"What's he doing?" Mina asked.

"He's tracking our friends. We tagged them last time we were in Tasmania to keep an eye on them," Koki explained via the little nymph's Creaturepod. "You know, there aren't many T-devils left, and we have to be alert, or maybe they'll disappear forever."

"Oh… that would be awful," Mina said with her eyes glowing of sadness.

Bite-Size grunted, and turned around to chase bugs. Koki looked at him, worried.

"This almost happened last time. And it was my fault," she said, with a sad tone.

"Oh, yeah. I read about that in the Wild Kratts diary. It's the Tazzy Chris chapter, right?" Mina said, grabbing the diary on her backpack and opening the book on the right chapter.

 _*flashback with scenes*_

 _"Yup. Zach wanted to scare everyone with his T-devil powered Zachbots, and he succeded in kidnapping them, because i was grossed out about T-devils eating dead meat. Luckily, Chris and Martin found them and defeated Zach, by using the T-Devils' scavenger instinct."_

"Cool!" Mina said, as she closed the book. "So, let's keep up the good work, to protect this endangered species!" She ran to meet her brothers.

What she didn't knew is that someone was spying on them. A certain chef...with really bad intentions.

"Endangered, huh? Just the kind of animals i was searching for my new delicacy. All i have to do is follow Green Grape, Blue Berry and Spice-Hair to find these T-Devils…"

* * *

"Wow…they're sooo cute!" Mina cheered as she hugged her T-Devil plush doll and observed the real-life ones.

"You think they're cute?" Martin asked. "Well, they're not that cute, but they ARE amazing creatures."

"There! Tag 9!" Chris pointed out. The tagged T-devil turned around, recognizing that voice.

"T-Bone?" Martin asked. "Is that you?" He caressed the creature's muzzle, and the T-Devil allowed Martin to caress him.

"Wow! You're a grown-up T-devil now. Boy, it has been a long time." Chris chuckled.

"I think we need to rename him. T-Bone doesn't match anymore." Mina said.

"I agree. Hmm…but what name now?"

"Um…Bonehead?" Mina suggested.

"I liked it! Bonehead." Chris agreed, and Martin nodded in approval, and the T-devil growled.

Aviva and the Tortuga crew appeared as holograms, via Martin's Creaturepod.

"Good choice. And hola, amigo!" They all waved to the T-devil, except for Bite-Size, who hid behind Koki. She started to worry about him. "We'll keep monitoring everything from the Hq. See ya later."

Mina observed the T-devils around her.

"Hey, Mina…i know how much you like T-devils now…but i know the one you like the most." Chris said, secretly touching Bonehead.

"Really? Which of them?" Mina asked. Then, she saw the green light of his big brother's suit. She turned around and saw Chris on his T-Devil suit.

"Me." Chris said, growling and getting on all fours.

"You're pretty convinced…but you're soo right!" Mina said, hugging that adorable tazzy friend that her brother was. She climbed on his rump, wanting a ride.

"Let's follow that T-devils. I'm gonna tell ya what i learn with them. Martin, are you coming?"

"Um…no…i think i'll stay here with Bonehead. You guys have fun."

"Um…okay, i guess." Mina said. "Let's go, Chris." After they left, Martin sighed.

"Hey, what's up, MK? Usually you don't refuse showing interesting things to Mina." Aviva asked.

"Well…i guess i'm a little nervous. A little. I mean, last time we were here, Chris got all tazzy because his suit glitched. What if this happens to me?"

"Aw, come on. The suits doesn't ALWAYS glitch." Jimmy said.

"Oh, no?" Martin asked.

 _*flashbacks with some of the glitches, except for the one in Tazzy Chris*_

"Hmm…look, how about this? Come back to the HQ, then i'll make you something to prevent glitches, just in case?"

"Good. I'm returning…with a special guest." He held Bonehead and ran back to the HQ.

* * *

Soon, Mina and Chris were with other Tasmanian devils.

"See, little sister? Tasmanian devils' ears become red when they fight." Chris explained. "The winner always gets the prize."

"Yeah, and there are lots of T-devils here." Mina said, holding the Tasmanian Devil plush.

"They're meeting for dinner." Chris said chuckling.

Chris, smelling the carcass, stuck out his tongue, drooling.

"Chris, don't do this!" Mina warned.

"Sorry. I thought Aviva repaired this "little problem" while programming the T-devil disc." He said, turning around to keep tracking the T-devils.

Mina came close to him and laid her head on his chest.

"I got cold…" She said, earning a warm hug from her big brother.

* * *

Once Martin reached the HQ, Aviva placed a special belt in his suit.

"There ya go, MK. With this belt, you won't have any problems with your Creature Power Suit." She said, while connecting some wires.

"Thanks. This makes me feel a little less worried." Martin said.

"I'm more worried about him." Bite-Size complained, pointing his wing to Bonehead. "Why you brought this dead-meat eater here?" He muttered, while chasing bugs.

"Geez. He sounds just like you. No offense." Jimmy told Koki.

"Nah, this doesn't hurt me anymore. Not as much as it used to." Koki admitted.

"Maybe we should give him some time. By the way, Martin, I liked this new name. Bonehead." Jimmy Z said, giving some moldy pizza to the T-Devil.

"Ew, Jimmy! Do you keep this in the fridge?" Koki was disgusted.

"Hey, you never know what kind of animal can visit us."

"Well, i promised my "grossed out" issues would never keep me from doing my job again. And i'm not planning on breaking this promise." She said, shrugging, and turning around to check her zucchini plant.

Bonehead saw a bug and tried catching him, but Bite-Size grabbed it quickly, making the T-devil accidentally bite a cable connected to the belt. This ended up causing an unexpected reaction: the suit started glitching.

Soon, Martin looked in the mirror and saw that it happened what he was fearing. He looked just like his brother last time: with a defective suit, looking like a Tasmanian devil.

"Somebody said uh-oh?" Jimmy asked. Koki gasped and Bite-Size stared in shock.

"I was going to." Martin and Aviva spoke, and Martin growled sadly.

* * *

Gourmand observed every single step Chris and Mina gave, hiding behind some bushes.

"Look, sis! A female T-devil!" Chris pointed out.

"Awww…she has pups! Well, just one." Mina said. She held the pup on her hands, carefully. "I think i'll call you…Bone. Well, i couldn't think about anything else."

"Yeah, Martin's specialty has always been naming creatures." Chris said. "But Bone is cute."

"Hmmm…now you." Mina said to the female T-devil. "How should i name you?"

The female growled. "Hey, calm down. We're not gonna hurt you."

Mina noticed a shadow behind her, and saw that she wasn't growling at her. A net covered her, Chris and the T-devils.

"Hey! What the…" Chris asked himself. He looked back to see Gourmand.

"T-devils come to me, be part of my delicacy!" Gourmand sung, out of tune as always.

"*gasp* Uh-oh…" Mina and Chris said, as Gourmand carried them all, leaving behind Mina's T-devil plush.

* * *

Martin couldn't stop chewing metal bars and cans around the Tortuga.

"Gosh. Now i know how Chris felt. Even though i can only see things in black-and-white, my vision is perfect!" He said, trying always to look on the bright side.

"Yeah, but your teeth chewed half of my spare parts." Aviva said.

"I knew this guys were trouble." Bite-Size grunted, staring at Bonehead, who only stared back.

Koki couldn't stop seeing herself on Bite-Size's behavior. She took a deep breath and called him.

"Uh…Bite-Size…i think i have to tell you something…

 _You see, before the bat adventure, i used to think the same way as you about T-devils. I was extremely grossed out about their scavenger way, and thought they were weird._

 _Because of my stupid issues, Zach kidnapped them under our noses, to use them on his new inventions. We were just lucky Chris had T-devil powers, even through a malfunctioning Creature Power Suit, and we were more lucky that the Kratt bros tagged the T-devils." She admitted, looking down._

"Wow…i…i had no idea…" Suddenly, Bite-Size started feeling bad.

"Because of me, they almost got extinct. I never told you that because i thought that after we met you, i would never had to act like that again. What I was not expecting was to see you acting like this."

"Gosh…i'm…i'm sorry, Koki…i didn't knew i was hurting you…" Bite-Size lowered his ears, remorseful. "And you wasn't the only one i hurt, right?" He looked at Bonehead, realizing completely his mistake.

"I think you know what to do." Koki smiled to him, feeling a little better. Bite-Size agreed with her, and flied to talk to Bonehead.

She looked back to see Tazzy Martin staring at her. "Nice work." He growled.

"Just things i learned while creature adventurin'." She said, fully relieved.

Suddenly, Martin felt his suit deactivate. He looked down to see himself back to normal. Aviva started fixing his belt.

"Thanks. I think part of this incident was my fault. It only i wasn't that nervous about…" He was going to finish the line, until they head a call on the screen.

"Aviva! Koki! Anyone here?" Mina called on her Creaturepod.

"Mina! What happened, sweetie?" Koki asked.

"Gourd-mand is here! He captured us and the T-devils!" Mina said, but suddenly, the signal started disappearing. "We need help…or else…he'll end up…"

"Guys! Hello?" Bite-Size shouted, trying to call them. "Oh, no!"

"We lost contact, but i got their coordinates." Koki said, sending them to Martin's Creaturepod.

"Listen, Martin. i succeded in stabilizing your suit, but i still haven't find out what to remove and fix from the belt. If you activate before i find out, you'll end up stuck on your Tazzy form…forever." Aviva warned.

"Fine. I'm the one who put them into trouble, so i'll have to save them!" Martin said, determinated.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Gourmand's fold-out restaurant, Chris tried freeing himself and Mina from their cage, by biting the bars. But even his teeth, sharp and strong as steel, weren't able to help.

"Ouch. My mouth hurts…" Chris moaned, with his hand on his mouth.

"You did your best, bro." Mina kissed his cheek.

"Hey! Quiet you two! I'm trying to cook around here!" Gourmand shouted. He sniffed what he was cooking. "Soon, i'll be apreciating my T-devil stew…with a little bit of spice on it." He looked at Mina, then grabbed her hair.

"Ouch! Stop!" Mina screamed, trying to make him let go. Imprisoned in a cage, her powers wouldn't work at all.

"Let her go!" Chris growled, clawing Gourmand's arm.

"UGH!" Gourmand immediatly let go of the nymph, holding his arm. "Just for that, you will go first!" He left the camper to find some more t-devils.

Chris gulped. Something told him that wasn't a good idea.

Martin tracked his siblings' location on his Creaturepod. They were veeery close. Then, he heard Gourmand approaching and hid behind some bushes.

After he left, Martin looked back to see his siblings trapped on that cage.

"Okay. Remember, Martin…you put them into this. They're your responsability." Martin reminded himself of his "big brother role". Then, he ran to the camper.

"Psst!" Martin called from a close bush."Guys?"

"Martin! Oh, i'm glad you're here." Mina cheered. "You need to get us outta here before Gourd-mand returns."

He noticed some teethmarks on the cage.

"I've been trying to save us all, but even my strong T-devil teeth didn't help." Chris explained.

"But it did help. It made it easier to brake." Martin broke the bars easily. "You chewed them so much, that you made them vulnerable."

"Well, i had a little help." He showed his big brother their t-devil friends.

"Still haven't found a good name for Bone's mom." Mina admitted.

"Bone? Really?" Martin asked. "Sis, you're good sometimes in naming, but you should leave it to me."

"I agree." She said, as she left the cage. "Now, let's get out of here before you-know-who returns."

"Okey-tokey!" Martin agreed, but once he stepped aside, he was flipped upside down by a rope, dropping his Creaturepod and calling the team. "Uh-oh."

Gourmand returned with another t-devil on his arms. Bonehead! He had followed Martin while he ran to save his siblings.

"Bonehead!"

The t-devils behind Chris growled. "Maybe it's his wife and son."

"Oh! A T-devil family stew! This is my lucky day!" Gourmand observed. "And now with a little bit of Kratt on it."

Martin gasped.

"Better not exaggerate, or you'll SINK the business." Mina winked. The Kratt bros chuckled. "Thanks. I learned this one with Aviva."

"Why, you little brat!" Gourmand growled, grabbing Mina's hair. "How about being cooked along with your big brother?"

Aviva watched everything from Martin's Creaturepod. She gasped.

"Oh, no! Jimmy, quick! We need to save them!"

Immediatly, the Tortuga started flying to the rescue.

Martin tried freeing himself, but he was not able to reach the knot. Bonehead and his family were about to be cooked.

"Now, a little bit of spice-hair on it." Gourmand grabbed Mina's hair, after trapping her and Chris in another cage.

"Don't you dare!" Martin shouted.

"Quiet, Blue Berry, or you'll go next!"

"Martin! Help!" Mina screamed.

Martin couldn't stand it anymore. He needed to run the risk. "Even though i may be stuck on that suit forever…i won't let him hurt my family!" He punched the belt's button and activated his T-devil power suit.

*BG music: Stan Bush - The Touch*

Once he activated, he cut the rope with his claws, calling Gourmand's attention.

"Wow…" Chris said.

Martin attacked the stove, dripping Gourmand's pots, and making him let go of Mina. The nymph's eyes glowed once Martin approached her. He held her carefully and helped Chris to save Bonehead and his family, by breaking the cage.

"Run, T-devils! Run for your lifes!" Chris shouted.

Gourmand growled at the T-devil bros and threwed doughballs on their direction. Chris ended up with his feet stuck on the floor.

"Oh, no! I'm stuck! Keep going, bro! I think this might take a while…"

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Martin said. "It was my fault you guys ended up in trouble. I need, more than ever, to be the creature now!"

Martin jumped toward Gourmand and clawed his arm.

"AGH! Why, you …." Gourmand said, really mad.

"You will not hurt them!" Martin said, with a furious stare.

Gourmand threw dough balls toward the blue tazzy bro. He dodged from them all, except for one that hit his belt and made him bump his head on a tree.

Meanwhile, Bone-Head and his family helped Chris, by eating the dough on his foot.

Gourmand approached the fainted Kratt brother. "A perfect shot, a perfect hunting." Bone-Head's wife growled and bit Gourmand's leg, taking him away from Martin.

At that instant, the Tortuga crew reached the siblings. Aviva, Koki and Bite-Size landed to help them.

Bone-Head and Bone smelled the dough on Martin's belt, and once they bit it, they made the tazzy bro return to normal.

"A-ha! That was the problem. Thanks, Bone-Head!" Aviva thanked, taking a defective chip out of the T-devil's mouth.

"Well, i take back any mean thing i said before. You guys are helpful." Bite-Size told Bone-Head.

"Martin? Bro, wake up." Chris said, failing in waking him up. Bone came close to the Kratt bro, and after a growl, licked his face, making him wake up. Chris and Mina quickly hugged him, relieved that their brother was ok.

Martin observed his body: he was himself again. No glitched t-devil power suit.

"Help!" Gourmand had climbed a tree, trying to escape Bone-Head's wife. "Get this monster away from me!"

"Well done … Biter!" Martin smiled, giving a name to the female T-devil, while the others laughed.

* * *

"Phew! What a day! Where's Luna?" Martin asked.

Soon, the owl appeared, ready to write whatever the Nature Guardians learned, to show Mother Nature.

"Dear Mother Nature, today we took Mina to meet a friend of ours. He has now grown up and has a family, and also changed his name. Mina learned a lot on this trip, but it was me who learned more. How can I explain?

Well, I learned that there is a difference between risks that you can never run and risks that you can't keep running. And sometimes our doubts betray us and make us miss what we could gain by simple fear of risking.

But when I decided to risk, I made a difference. In other words, sometimes you have to risk to get results. And boy, what a result i received.

From Water Guardian, Martin Kratt. "

He stamped his medallion in the letter and Luna took the letter through a portal.

"Well done." Mina complimented.

"Martin, I finished the second T-devil disk. It hasn't been tested yet…" Aviva said.

"Whatcha think, bro? Up for a race?" Chris activated his T-devil powers.

"I'm in." Martin said, activating his suit. "But this time I want Mina in my team."

"Okey Tokey, big bro!" Mina climbed him up."Hi-yo, Tazzy Martin!"

"If you're in Martin's team, i'm with Chris." Bite-Size said.

The three siblings and the brown bat laughed as they left the Tortuga, starting the race.


	9. Episode 10: Teeth for Three

In the Indonesian rainforest, the Tortuga was landed close to Mina's temple. The Earth Gem have been moved to a safer place. Where? Nobody knew.

Chris was jumping from tree to tree, with Mina following him.

"So you want to find a perfect present for Martin?"

"Sure, Mina. This year, I shall give him the best present ever!" Chris agreed.

"Wow. You sound determinated." Mina stopped for a moment in a branch, and Chris joined her.

"I do have a good reason…every year, in my birthday, Martin gives me lots of cool stuff, and on his birthday, i NEVER give him anything. I search around every single place to find the perfect present, but i never succeed." Chris explained.

"Wow…that's intense." Mina said. "Don't worry, big bro. I'll help you. together, we'll give Martin the bestest present ever!"

* * *

Inside the Tortuga, Martin observed the pictures in a book, remembering everything he did with the Wild Kratts during all that year.

"Wow… what a day," he said. "Isn't that right, guys?" He turned around, and saw that no one was there. "Uh… guys? Hey… where is everybody?"

Meanwhile, in Mina's temple, the crew was organizing everything for Martin's birthday party.

Aviva was using her air powers, to camouflage the place, until they finished decorating.

"I only hope Chris return soon. I can't keep this fog forever." She said.

"Relax. If there's someone who can find a perfect present for him, it's the one who knows Martin even better than we do." Koki assured her.

"Maybe…"

* * *

Mina and Chris landed close to the river.

"I'm gonna feel terrible if I don't give him anything this year." Chris reminded Mina. "It has to be just like him."

"Hmm… Martin loves animals, don't he?" Mina thought for a moment.

"Sure. After all he is a Kratt." Chris smiled.

"Why not giving him something from an animal?" Mina gave an idea.

"Yeah… like when he gave Aviva a porcupine quill necklace on her birthday." Chris agreed, remembering the time they met Quillber. "That's perfect, Mina!"

Suddenly, they heard a thunder. "Huh? Is it gonna rain?"

Some raindrops fell on their heads. "I think it's a yes! Let's find a place to stay. Quick!" Chris grabbed his little sister's hand.

"Weird…i wonder why it's raining like this…"

In the Tortuga, Martin felt a little upset.

"It happened again…He spents every day of the year with me…but just in one of the most important days in my lfe, he's not here…is it too hard to make this year different?" He complained, sitting on his hammock, with the sprigs of his hair down.

* * *

In the temple, everything was almost ready.

"Where are you? We're almost finished around here." Koki asked.

"It started raining, so we entered a cave to protect ourselves." Chris explained .

"Raining? Why it's raining only there?" Koki wondered. After all, it was a pretty sunny day. Then, secretly spying through Aviva's fog, she saw Martin in the Tortuga's window, with a sad face.

"Hmm…i'm feeling a light use of a Nature Power Necklace." Mina held the flower on her dress.

"Martin's medallion?" Koki asked.

"Maybe…He is a Water Guardian, and if he caused it to rain…he must be feeling upset or something like this."

"Well, he is upset already." Koki said. "But why only where you guys are?"

"This must be an involuntary use of his…Ouch!" Mina flinched. She stepped on something sharp.

"Uh…we'll call you later." Chris said.

Chris removed what injured Mina's foot. It looked like a rock.

"Hey, what's that?" Mina asked, trying to see two shadows in the dephts of the cave.

"Oh…it's the orangutam mom, and her baby." Chris said, smiling. "Hmm…maybe Huge-O is here too."

"Huge-O?"

"An orangutan friend of ours. The one of the Huge Orange Problem chapter." He pointed out in the Wild Kratts Diary. "He taught us about how using special leaves to make a cure for sore muscles. Wait…"

Chris analyzed the rock Mina stepped on. "It's a tooth."

"A tooth?" Mina asked .

"According to the analysis, it's a orangutan tooth." Chris said." Just like humans, many animals have dentitions. Some species never stop growing teeth, like the great white shark, others have only a limited number of dentitions, like us. And there are teeth of all kinds, and all very different and special."

"Different? Special? Hey…" Mina said.

"Martin's gift!" Mina and Chris concluded.

"This is perfect!" The Kratt in green said. "I'll call Koki."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a pink plane, Donita Donata was trying to have a new idea for her new collection.

"No, no, no! I simply don't have new ideas for my new autumn collection." She complained. Then, suddenly, she thought about something. "Hmm…but maybe someone has…"

Everything was ready for Martin's party: balloons, streamers, animal decorations…all was needed now was to surprise Martin.

"Lots of animals lose their teeth, during battles or naturally." Mina said. "There are all kinds, and they're all special."

"Hmm…a teeth necklace would be perfect for him." Koki agreed. "And we do have some animal teeth on the Tortuga. The only thing is…Martin's still there…" Suddenly, the signal started to fall.

"Hey…what's…going…on?" Koki's face disappeared from Chris's Creaturepod.

"The transmission was cut! What happened?" Mina asked.

"I don't know." Chris said.

"No problemo, Koki." Bite-Size said, then he whispered something to an animal in a tree. "About Martin's distraction…i have the perfect agent for this…" Then, he flied away. "I'll follow him, just to be sure everything will go according to the plan."

"This bat is a little rascal." Jimmy said. "In a good way."

"He learned it with me." Koki said.

* * *

Martin sighed, looking at the window. Then, he saw a familiar draco lizard zipping on a tree, and Bite-Size following him.

"Hey, Martin. Guess who i found around the trees." The bat said.

"Zippy! Hey, buddy!" Soon, he forgot about his sadness, his sprigs lifted up, and he followed the draco lizard. "Wait for me!"

Aviva took the oportunity to enter the HQ and get all the animal teeth they had.

* * *

After the rain stopped, Chris received a message by Koki.

"The distraction worked. Martin's far away from the Tortuga, and we got the teeth." Chris read it.

"Hmm .." Mina thought. "You have all sorts of animal teeth at the HQ?"

"No, unfortunately." Chris said. "They are very unique in our collection…just like my lucky tooth." Chris showed her a baby tooth on a pot. "I lost it when i was a kid, when Heidi made me find the three ducklings i told you about."

"We can find some more teeth around the world." Mina asked.

"How?" Chris asked

"This would be an opportunity to train my teleportation power." Mina said. "I think we should invite some "special friends" for the party … and during this, find some more teeth."

"Oh, I see your point." Chris said, holding her hand. Mina opened the Wild Kratts Diary, and stopped in a certain page.

"Next stop, Africa!"

After she teleported, Donita and Dabio looked from behind a tree.

"Now i see what are they planning. We haven't got anything when we intercepted their signal, but now we know where to go."

* * *

Chris and Mina ended up just where Mina wanted. In the middle of the African savannah.

"It worked. Let's find some more teeth." Mina said, and Chris agreed. Suddenly, a cheetah passed close to them.

"Hey, Blur!" Mina called, recognizing the cheetah. She immediatly stopped running and looked around.

"Chris? Mina? Wow, am i surprised to see you." The cheetah said, approaching them and chirping, calling her cub. Spot-Swat appeared, running in Mina's direction. He looked a little different: that striped marks on his back were disappearing and he was looking a little more like his mother.

"Wow...they grow up fast." Mina chuckled. Chris agreed.

"Look, we need your help. We need to find some animal teeth. Teeth that are not used anymore. It's for a very special surprise for Martin." Chris explained.

"Hey, i lost a tooth while hunting with Mom." Spot-Swat said. "It must be around this same place."

Chris used the Creaturepod to localize it, and it didn't took long to find the cheetah's missing tooth. "Thanks, Spot-Swat. Hey…wanna come to Martin's birthday party?" Chris asked.

"Can i, mom?" Spot-Swat asked.

"Sure. It sounds really fun." Blur said. Spot-Swat followed Chris and Mina.

"Thanks, Blur. Once the party's over, we'll bring him back." Chris guaranteed. They left to search for more teeth, but once they left, someone grabbed the cheetah.

*BG music: The Animal Song - Savage Garden*

Across the African savannah, they got some teeth from Crocodilla (who lost them while protecting her little ones), and her six daughters followed the two adventurers.

With a help from Thornsley, they found some elephant teeth in a skeleton left after a lion's hunting, and in a rhino skeleton, with a little help from Nubs, they found a Rhino horn. Even though those ones were really big, nothing that the Miniturizer couldn't solve.

"Good. We'll only need a few more." Chris said, while miniturizing the rhino horn. Suddenly, they saw something jumping really high.

"A caracal! No, three caracals!" It was Hang Time and her kittens. One of the kittens recognized Chris and ran toward them through the grass.

"Hey, i know you. You saved me from an owl a long time ago." The caracal said.

"Pouncemore! It's great to see you." Chris said.

"Wait…you understood what i said?" The kitten asked. "How?"

"Long story…" Chris saw he needed to explain what the crew already explained to Blur and Spot-Swat. "But first, we need your help."

"I only hope Bite-Size's distraction is working…" Mina commented.

* * *

Martin followed Zippy around with his draco power suit, being followed by Bite-Size.

"Zippy's winning, Bite-Size! We better hurry up!" Martin said.

"More that…i'm…hurrying…up?" The brown bat said, heavily breathing. He was exhausted. He needed to stop.

He stopped for an instant, hanging upside down in a branch, to catch his breath.

"I can't stand much longer. I only hope Mina and Chris return soon…"

* * *

"You're lucky!" Pouncemore said, while Mina and Chris followed him inside his home. "I lost some teeth while playing with my little sister."

"New ones will come soon, buddy." Chris observed, while Mina grabbed the teeth.

"And thanks for inviting us to Martin's birthday." Pouncemore's little sister said. "This is gonna be fun!"

"And don't worry, Hang Time. We'll bring them back once the party…" Mina was saying, until she noticed the adult female caracal wasn't there.

Outside, Dabio put the caracal into a cage, and returned to the plane.

"Excellent! I'll extract all of your teeth to my new line of dresses and accesories." Donita looked at the trapped crocodile, cheetah and caracal. "Hm…but maybe one more creature…"

* * *

"Martin! Zippy!" Bite-Size called the Kratt in blue and the draco lizard. "Wait for me! Man, you are hard to catch up with, compared to a mosquito!"

Suddenly, something sucked the bat up. "Hey! What the…Yikes! HELP!"

Martin and Zippy stopped running and looked up. It was Donita's giant vacuum.

"Oh, not her! I hope the others returned." Martin turned around, returning to the temple.

"Here, Koki." Chris gave her a bag full of different kinds of teeth.

"Chris, look!" Mina pointed out to the sky. Donita's pink plane flied above them.

"Uh-oh. We have trouble." Koki stated.

"Hey, the fog disappeared." They heard Martin's voice, and turned around. Martin entered the temple, with Zippy on his shoulder, and stared at the crew, surprised.

"Well…i think it's too late to say "Surp…" Mina was saying, until Martin embraced Chris.

"You're here! You're, here, you're here, you're here!" Martin cheerfully said.

"Huh…what?" Chris asked.

"You mean, all you ever wanted was Chris by your side in your birthday?" Mina linked the facts, understanding her big brother's reaction.

Chris's eyes glowed. He could have done this years ago…this, for Martin, was way more important that any gift in the world.

"Well.." Chris cleared his throat, wiping a tear. "I had a reason to my absence. And finally, i can justify it."

Martin felt ticklish, then he looked down to see Spot-Swat licking his leg.

"Well, that's my surprise: i brought some more guests!" Mina said, cheerfully. Thornsley, Nubs, Crocodilla's daughters, and Pouncemore and his sister entered the temple.

"And with them, i brought the perfect gift." Chris said, showing his brother the teeth they caught in Africa. "Some were lost during hunting, others fell naturally…but they're all unique and special. Like you."

Martin smiled, putting a hand on his little brother's shoulder, then turning around to thank his animal friends. "Thanks, guys. That is a gift i will never forget."

Then, he made a "just-realized" face. "Oh! I did forgot something! Donita's here, and she got Bite-Size!"

"WHAT?!" Koki asked. "We gotta save him!"

"She just passed above the temple. We'll never reach her in time." Aviva said. "Unless…"

"I think you're thinking what we are thinking." Chris winked to his big brother and little sister.

* * *

"Woo-hoo!" Martin said, in his falcon power suit, with Mina sitting on his back.

"In land, cheetahs may be fast, but in the air, nothing better to catch up with a plane than FALCON POWERS!" Chris said. They soon reached the plane, that landed close to a cliff.

"Soon, i'll be getting all of your wonderful teeth for my dresses! Donita Donata's African Autumn Collection will be my masterpiece!" Donita chuckled.

Bite-Size, who was freezed by a pose beam, couldn't hold his mouth. "Huh?! Teeth for dresses?! Getting teeth that fell naturally it's okay, but pull the ones that are still growing is cruel!"

"Huh? A talking bat?!" Donita stared at him, surprised. "Even better! Your teeth are more valuable!" Bite-Size shut his mouth once he heard that.

"Don't even touch him!" Chris said, opening the door with his claws. "Wow. Aviva made such an upgrade on this falcon claws." Martin and Mina entered.

"Leave this creatures alone, Lady Crazy-Clothes!" Mina shouted, hitting the pose beam that was trapping Bite-Size. "Ouch…" She rubbed her hand.

"Dabio, do something!" Donita ordered. Dabio ran against the Kratt brothers, but Mina held him with her levitation powers. "Go! Free the others!" She threwed Dabio on Donita, and they both hit the wall. She knelt, exhausted.

"Let's go, ani-moms!" Martin said.

"The only teeth you're going to get are the ones in your denture!" Mina joked, making Chris laugh. "Learned this one with the girls. Let's go." Once on Chris's back, she looked around and saw Dabio. "I must admit, it hurts doing this things to Dabio. He seems like a cool guy."

"Yeah, if only he could see how horrible Donita really is…" Chris sighed, agreeing with Mina, while they left the plane.

* * *

Martin blew up the candles of his cake, while everyone around him cheered. "Happy birthday, Martin!"

Mina and Chris gave him a small package. "You made a necklace with all those teeth! I LOVED IT!" Martin said, once he opened it. "Thanks, guys." He placed it on his neck. Then, he noticed one single tooth between the others. "Hey, isn't this one your…lucky tooth?"

"Yup." Chris said.

"You…gave it to me?"

"Sure. These are teeth of all the ones you named. And wasn't you who picked up my name?" Chris winked.

"Aww…" Martin hugged his little brother. How thoughtful of him…

"Oh, this reminds me…Cake Time, animals!" Mina and Jimmy brought a special cake for all the animals.

"Yummy." Pouncemore said, after taking a bite.

"Nothing better as celebrating with ALL your family around." Martin said. "Animals, humans…"

"Nymphs too?" Mina asked.

"Sure. Nymphs too." Martin chuckled. They all laughed as they celebrated together.

Martin was right: no matter how simple your party is, the best thing to have around is your family.


	10. Episode 11: Adventures in Babysitting

The Wild Kratts were reunited at the Mystical Garden, under Gaia's tree, in Mother Nature's temple.

"This is SO exciting! Which ones are they, Mina?!" Martin asked excitedly.

"Calm down, Martin. They haven't blossomed yet." Luna said, pointing out with her wing. They were staring at two giant flower buds.

"Do all nymphs start out like this? Even you, Mina?" Chris asked.

"Yes. These flowers on Gaia's tree are elemental. Any kind of nymph can be born from them."

"Does the flower determine the element?" Martin asked.

"Well…these ones are blue and red…this means…"

Suddenly, the flowers started moving and blossoming. Inside them, there were two newborn babies: a girl with orange hair and a girl with blue hair.

"…water and fire nymphs!" Mina finished saying.

"Wow! A fire nymph and a water nymph at the same time?! Now that's rare!" Luna observed.

"Awww…they're soo cute!" Koki said. Bite-Size, who was resting on her shoulder, agreed with her.

"Cute? They're not JUST cute….they're adorable!" Martin cooed, his eyes going girly. Mina giggled.

"Yes, but be careful, newborns of these powers can sometimes have outbursts. I knew a sitter for a fire nymph once who had no hair." Luna told them.

"Why was that?" Chris couldn't help but ask.

"Really, Chris, it was FIRE nymph!"

"Oh…ouch." Chris cringed.

"And sometimes, a water nymph is very sensitive. She cries very easily and needs lots of love." Luna explained.

"And I'm guessing her crying could flood a house…literally?" Chris asked.

Mina nodded.

The babies opened their eyes and stared at the crew.

"Ay, que lindas." Aviva cooed.

The babies yawned and fell asleep on their flowers.

"How are you gonna call them?" Chris asked Mina and the crew.

"We'll name the fire one, Jimmy. After all, Fire is our Element." Koki suggested. "Hmmm…what about Ruby?" She touched the little one's blanket.

"I prefered Zelda, but Ruby sounds fine too." Jimmy said.

Martin gently caressed the water nymph's face. She opened her baby-blue eyes and smiled.

"I think i'll call you…Marina." He adjusted her blankets.

"Nice one, Martin. " Mina gleamed.

"Thanks."

Little Marina yawned and grabbed Martin's finger as if it was a small teddy bear.

Martin laughed nervously.

"Eh-heh…how do I get it back without making her cry?"

* * *

Later, in the Tortuga, the babies explored the place around them: Ruby observed everything around, and Marina kept sucking her pacifier and hugging a plush owl Aviva had.

"Marina, eres tan linda. Sólo quiero abrazarte todo el día." Aviva spoke.

"That's about the tenth time you've said that, and I still have no idea of what you're saying." Jimmy chuckled.

"I'm saying that she's so cute, and i just want to hug her all day." Aviva explained.

Chris felt a tug on his shirt. Ruby's green eyes glowed of seeing Chris' green shirt.

"Well…i guess green is her favorite color." He chuckled.

"Or…maybe she doesn't like it." Aviva said, her eyes wide.

"Why?" But then Chris smelled smoke, and he realized that Ruby had just stared 'fire' into the corner of his shirt, and he took off running outside for the pond.

Aviva and Ruby giggled.

"Awww…that's my favorite green shirt…" Chris complained, returning completely wet.

"You better leave Ruby with me and Jimmy. Like i said, Fire is our element." Koki said, touching her medallion and holding Ruby.

Chris rolled his eyes.

They suddenly all heard crying and before they knew it…water was up to their ankles.

"How…?"

"She just dropped my owl." Aviva said, wading through the water and giving Marina the doll back. As soon as she stopped crying, the water receded.

"Wow…and i though taking care of lion cubs was hard…" Aviva said.

Martin started playing with Marina. She giggled, while he made funny faces to her.

"Who's hungry?" Mina asked, entering with two other nymphs.

"Hey, who are they?" Jimmy asked.

"These are Edith and Maggie. They're usually guarding Gaia's tree and paying attention on newborn nymphs."

The team nodded in understanding as the two went to work caring for the newborns.

Edith passed on the baby bottles to Maggie.

"Amazing…it has been only a month, and they're already full of curiosity and playfulness." Mina said.

"You were also a pretty cute baby, Mina. I saw you when you opened your eyes for the first time." Luna remebered. "It was the happiest day of Flora's life."

Mina blushed, but looked down sadly. Aviva put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Ruby was put on the floor, after burping. She tried munching a piece of paper, but Koki stopped her.

"Nuh-uh-uh, lady. No munching paper." Bite-Size said. Ruby tried catching him, smiling.

"Help! I'm about to become a roasted delicacy!" He shouted, seeing her eyes begin to glow.

"Hey!" Koki shouted, grabbing Bite-Size before Ruby could do anything.

Maggie giggled. "Don't worry, we'll ask Hephaestus to make power-proof armors to them. He's a specialist on these things."

"Sure he is. As a smithing god, Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in Olympus. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, particularly Athens." Chris said, after consulting his mythology book.

The two nymphs raised their eyebrows at the human's knowledge.

"Ha, that's my brother… the nerd." Martin said.

"Hey!" Chris pouted, closing the book.

Everyone laughed…even the newborns thought it was funny.

"I'm sure learning some things with my human family." Mina said.

"Family?! Oh, my! We forgot about Gaia's tree. New nymphs can come at any moment." Edith remebered.

"Oh, dear! We have to go now, but…we can't leave the babies alone! Any of you could please take care of them while we go there?" Maggie asked.

Mina was about to volunteer herself, but Martin's hand shot up like a rocket.

"Bro, are you sure?" Mina asked, unsure if he could take care of the matter.

"Hello! I'm the oldest of the Kratt brothers. I took care of Chris when he was just a baby. It can't be that hard." Martin said, remembering of taking care of his little brother.

Chris blushed a little, receiving a giggle from Aviva and Koki.

"But you have to do more than just play with them." Maggie informed. "And not to mention Fire and Water nymphs can-"

"How hard could it be? I mean, I've even looked after Spot Swat before. And he was a cheetah cub! This is nothing." Martin replied.

The three nymphs looked at each other questionably, but then Martin brought out the puppy eyes.

"Pleeeeease?"

"Um…welll…okay, i guess." Edith said.

"Here. There's a schedule with all the things you need to do." Maggie gave him a huge list. A REALLY HUGE list.

"Wow, that's a lot of…I mean, there should be no problem." Martin replied.

"Let's go, then. If anything wrong happens, just write a letter to us!" Maggie said.

"Oh, guys! We're late for training!" Mina remembered. "Martin can skip this training session because of the babysitting service, but we really need to go."

"Don't worry, sis. Everything's under control." Martin said, while waving bye to the others.

The Tortuga doors closed as Martin finished waving, and he turned over to Marina and Ruby….who soon started crying. It was weird. Ruby was crying sparks while Marina started flooding the HQ again.

Martin gulped.

* * *

Martin walked over to the children, and tried to pick Marina up first, since she could literally drown them all with their tears.

"No, no, no…happy." Martin started making funny faces, but then he heard Marina and Ruby's bellies growl.

"Hungry again? Hmmm…it's not time to feed them yet... i need to distract them…"

* * *

Martin organized a stage and prepared a table for the girls.

"You girls will love this."

The two infants looked at each other until Martin came out behind the curtain.

"Hey, everybody! Howls's going?" *drum roll*

The nymph babies stared at each other.

"Okay. How does a dog stop a video? He presses the paws button!" *drum roll*

The nymphs kept staring.

"Ahem…well, What do you call a pig who knows karate? Porkchop!" *drum roll*

The nymphs felt about to cry.

"Geez, what a tough crowd."

"Tell me about it." Bite-Size, who was playing the drums (with his head), agreed. "We just started and i'm already with a headache."

Ruby and Marina's eyes began to water.

Martin bit his lip. He sulked.

"Desperate times, call for desperate matters."

He started dancing to impress them.

"Look at my feet!" But he saw he forgot to tie his boots. He ended up tripping and a sack of flour fell on his head.

Marina and Ruby immediatly started laughing.

"Whew!" Martin huffed in relief also sending some flour into the air.

* * *

"Okay…let's see…" Martin checked the list. "Oh, good! Now it's the right time to feed them."

Martin was just starting to get the bottles together….when a certain odor filled the room.

"Oh…Smells like somebody needs me to changie-wangie their diaper-wiper right now-a-wow!"

He blew a bang out of his face as the rest of his hair was starting to tangle itself.

He sneaked behind the toys, leaving the baby bottles close to the girls. He tip-toed behind then, holding two diapers.

"Alright…just hold still…." He crept up behind them. "That's it…nice nymphs…" Then he pounced.

After cornering and wrestling with the girls, he ended up with the two diapers on him instead.

"Hey!" He glared off as the two girl started scattering to different parts of the atrium.

Ruby was busy trying to figure out what the fire extinguisher was, and Marina was about ready to fall into the sink.

"Wait! Don't!" Martin held Marina, preventing her for falling. "How did you got…"

Suddenly, he turned around to see that Ruby disappeared.

Martin looked around frantically.

"R….Ruby?!" He called out….no answer. Not even a coo of curiosity.

He then suddenly thought he felt something hot behind him…and he saw a light coming from behind too.

Ruby was floating in front of him, giggling.

"*gasp* You're already floating?" Martin couldn't believe. Marina's eyes sparkled and she giggled.

Martin set Marina on the floor and tried to reach Ruby by jumping for her, but she was too high up.

"Now…you…come….here….I'm…responsible…for…you…!" Martin finally fell to the floor out of breath.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Mina's temple, the rest of the crew was training their powers, while Chris meditated.

Wincing a little in concentration, a vine suddenly began to grow from outside and into the temple…and suddenly Chris grinned a little at hearing Aviva yell, "Chris! Not funny!", before the vine covered her mouth.

Chris burst out laughing after that, and with the concentration lost, the vine disappeared back in the forest. Aviva got up and dusted herself off.

"You know…I don't think Mother Nature gave you your powers for pranks." She said.

"Speaking about pranks, don't you think we should check on Martin?" Mina asked.

"Nah, I'm sure he's fine. He took of you, right Chris?" Aviva asked with a giggle…then a laugh at seeing Chris turn red.

"Uh…well…I don't remember…"

"You couldn't. You were a baby. " Mina grabbed the Wild Kratts Diary. "And what a little cutie you were." She commented, seeing a picture of little Chris sleeping on his big brother's arms.

Everyone laughed at seeing Chris facepalm, trying to hide that his face was becoming redder than fire itself.

"Yeah….could we check in, please?" He asked, still looking at the ground.

* * *

Bite-Size observed while the fire nymph floated around. Martin was heavily breathing on the floor. He couldn't reach her.

"Wow…and i thought that bat pups were hard to handle…" The brown bat commented.

"I'm not giving up yet, Bite-Size." Martin said determined, punching his hand with his fist. "This can be done. It just takes skill, precision, and timing."

"Yeah…two of those things you don't have." Bite Size replied, laughing.

"Oh, yeah?" Martin said. "Let's see who'll get the last laugh." He looked up, then he noticed that the babies had disappeared.

Martin yelped in surprise.

"Ruby!?" He whipped around to find them, but they weren't anywhere in the room! "Marina…?"

Bite-Size cleared his throat and pointed up at the ceiling above him.

Marina was upside down on the Tortuga's ceiling. She was giggling as she looked down.

"Oh, boy…" He grabbed a sack of flour. "Com' on, Marina, get out of here before you get hurt."

Suddenly, a ring from the main screen told Martin he was getting a call.

"Hey, Martin! Everything okay over there?" Chris asked, checking in.

"Sure. Everything's fine. The girls are playing around, they already ate…everything ok." Martin said, with a forced smile.

"Okay. We just wanted to know." Chris said. "But if anything happens…"

"Don't sweat it, guys. Everything's under control. Ciao." Martin turned off the screen, finishing the chat.

Martin turned back around at the baby on the ceiling.

"Alright, little missy, you better come down from there before they get back!"

Ruby appeared on the retractable window. She was glowing as the sun. Marina got scared, and fell from the ceiling. Martin ran to save her, but tripped on the sack of flour, and ended up all white again. Marina landed safely on his lap. Both babies giggled.

"Oh jeez." Martin rolled his eyes.

* * *

Martin turned the knobs of the bathtub. Now…he just needed to…

"Oh great! Now where did they go?" He asked, slapping his forehead.

He heard some giggles from the floor. The girls were hidden somewhere.

"Alright…no more mister nice guy." Martin said with a slight growl of annoyance.

*BG music: Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy*

Martin searched around the place with his water powers. But everytime he was close to find them, they always founded a way to escape him, making him bump his head, trip on stuff and even wrapped himself on his own ropes. In the end, they hid in the empty bathtub.

Bite-Size took the oportunity to turn the knobs of the bathtub again. Soon, the bathtub was full of water again, and Ruby's fire vanished, showing her normal orange hair.

"I got them, Martin!"

"Nice job, Bite-Size."

Martin soon had the bubbles working too.

"Hey, girls, check it out." He blew a bunch of bubbles in the air. The girls were fascinated at first wondering how something so frail could float like magic. They soon noticed how frail they were when Ruby went to touch one and it popped.

Marina felt about to cry again. Martin grabbed another sack of flour.

"I only hope they don't make me do this…"

Martin thought of one last thing.

He grabbed a whole bunch of bubbles and attached them to his face, making himself start to look like he had a white beard like Santa Claus.

But once Marina went to touch it, they popped and she started splashing and crying.

Martin didn't want the Tortuga to flood again, so sopping wet, he grabbed the flour.

"Don't make me do it, guys! You do realize what happens when flour and water mix, right?!" He asked desperately.

Bite-Size ripped the bag with his mouth, dumping the flour over Martin's wet body, turning it into paste. The girls giggled.

"Oh, that's what happen?" Bite-Size asked. Martin grunted.

* * *

"Koki!" Chris groaned at seeing his newly twine of vines being burnt to a crisp.

"Sorry!"

"I wish Martin was here….he could put this out!" Aviva said, running in with some water in buckets.

"Taking care of baby nymphs was never an easy thing, as your brother said it would be." Luna told Mina. "The last guardian that realized this task almost gone crazy."

"Wow…he haven't asked for help?"

"Nope. He prefered doing it all by himself." The owl said. Mina gulped. She got worried about her big brother.

* * *

Martin looked down at the girls. His hair was becoming frazzled and out of place, and his bags on his eyes didn't help his eyes that already were shrunk wild. He glared at the two infants that he had successfully trapped in an upside down play pen, so they couldn't crawl away again.

"There. NOW who's the one in charge?" He asked with a tired hearted laugh.

Ruby chuckled seeing Bite-Size and her fiery heir destroyed the play pen. She and Marina followed the bat all around the HQ.

"Yikes! Help!"

Martin just observed the mess. Nothing was working. Soon, Ruby tripped and started crying. This made the Kratt in blue remember of something from his past…

 _A little baby was crying on its cradle. The twins, Christine and Susan, didn't knew what to do._

 _"We tried everything."_

 _"And nothing works."_

 _"And mom's out." They looked at each other. "MARTIN!"_

 _Little Martin poked his head out of a pillow he was using to cover his ears._

 _"Yeah?" He shouted over the noise._

 _"We can't get Chris to calm down!" Susan said._

 _"And he's getting louder!" Christine added, covering her ears._

 _"But didn't you girls said that i would only cause trouble, and you could lead with Chris by yours…"_

 _"Yeah, wedidbutwearedesperate…"_

 _"…andmomwillbemadwithallofusifwedon'tmakehinstopcry!" The twins said. "PLEASE, Martin! Help us!"_

 _Martin looked at them. He let go of the pillow and walked to Chris's room._

 _Once the baby saw Martin, his crying stopped. Chris smiled to Martin and chuckled._

 _"Oh…." The twins understood. "He was missing you…" Martin smiled and carried Chris carefully._

Martin blinked as the flashback ended.

"He was…missing me…That's it!" He exclaimed.

At that moment, the training session was finished and the others were ready to return to the Tortuga.

"Maybe we should call Martin and warn him that…" Chris was saying, until he received a message on his Creaturepod. Once he read it, he turned to the gang. "I think someone need us."

* * *

"Now…guys…just calm down…they'll be here any minute." Martin said to the crying infants. With Bite-Size's help, he managed to get them to stay IN the play pen, but Marina's crying had cause some minor flash flooding…and by that, I mean the water was up to Martin's waist.

"Here, Marina." Aviva entered the HQ with the crew through the sunroof, showing Marina her plush owl.

Marina started giggling, and all the water around the HQ disappeared.

"It's okay…i'm here…" Koki said to Ruby.

She held her carefully and started singing to her. Chris played guitar to help in her song. *Music: Heather Bambrick - Aren't I Cute*

After she finished singing, she saw that Ruby fell asleep.

* * *

"Shh. They're finally asleep." Koki said, walking back into the main atrium, after adjusting the babies' blanket.

Chris smirked over at his brother that had managed to fall asleep in the nearest chair, snoring away.

"Before he could faint, he left this." Bite-Size pointed to a letter. "Dear Mother Nature, today I learned that sometimes our desire for responsibility can outrun our actual ability to handle it, and that just because you're responsible for something, it doesn't mean you won't need help in anything. Au contraire. You don't need to be ashamed of asking for help. This will only make the responsibility less heavy, and even fun."

"It is indeed a valuable lesson." Mother Nature appeared, followed by Edith and Maggie. Chris turned around.

"Ha! What are you doing here?" He asked, a big grin on his face.

"Why I'm here to check on the little ones of course." Mother Nature replied with a giggle.

"And looks like Martin handled things up pretty well…if he could count on such amazing friends." Edith said.

"Huh?" Martin woke up, yawning.

"Hey, Martin…you wouldn't be interested in helping us taking care of future baby nymphs, would ya?" Maggie asked.

Martin's eyes widened.

"Uh…well…um…let me check the schedule…" He said nervously.

"I…maybe…yikes…" He said. The babies started mumbling on their sleep.

"Martin…" Ruby said.

"Kratt…" Marina said.

"Aww…" Chris said, while Martin felt happy tears on his eyes.

"Only if the gang agrees on helping me." Martin said, accepting the offer. The babies secretly opened one of their little eyes and chuckled.


	11. Episode 12: Sister Wolf

It was a sunny afternoon in the forest. The Kratt brothers and Mina were howling, trying to find a certain wolf pack.

"I can't wait to meet Little Howler!" Mina said.

They heard some howls close to where they were. "They're close. Follow that howls!" Martin said, being followed by his siblings.

"Speaking about howls and wolves, i guess i want a wolf costume for the costume party tonight." The nymph said. "Beside chameleons, wolves are my favorite animals."

"I'll have a wolf costume too. Last costume party, we were raccoons." Chris remembered.

"Oh., i read about The Masked Bandits adventure." Mina took the Wild Kratts Diary out of her backpack. "One of my favorite stories."

"Mine's the Tazzy Chris adventure." Chris said, chuckling.

"I'll pick the Blue and Gray adventure." Martin said.

"We should ask to the crew about their favorite adventures later. For now, let's find that wolves. Like i said, can't wait to meet Little Howler!" Mina said, floating of excitement. The Kratt brothers followed her, agreeing and howling.

Close to where they were, a pair of wolfish eyes, with a slight human look, saw them.

* * *

In the Tortuga, Koki finished her costume, using Jimmy as mannequin…again.

"Don't move now, Jimmy. Just one thing left…" Koki said, putting a tiara with fake bat ears on Jimmy's head. "Voilá!"

Bite-Size held his laugh. "I think it'll look better on Koki, JZ!"

"Very funny. But i say it's better then that time with Maze." Jimmy said.

"And we haven't finished yet. We still need to make a costume for Mina." Aviva reminded. "I wonder what would she like…"

* * *

Back to the forest, Martin felt someone behind him and his siblings.

"Uh…ever had the feeling of being observed?" Martin asked.

"Sure…the crew's always keeping an eye on us." Chris answered.

"With lots of eyes?" Martin asked, after turning around. A pack of wolves was running against them. "Hide!" He pulled his siblings to a bush, getting off the pack's way.

"Hey, they weren't even after us. They were after a moose." Chris pointed out the wolves' target: a moose.

Suddenly, a young wolf sniffed the bush they were, recognizing their voices. Mina approached him carefully.

"Careful, Mina." Chris said.

"Guys…it's Little Howler!" Mina said, after the wolf howled.

The Kratt brothers approached the wolf. He sniifed their hands and allowed them to caress him.

"Little Howler? Wo-ho-how, long time no see, buddy!" Martin said.

"He must be months old now." Chris observed, while caressing the wolf. "When we met him, he was just a four weeks old pup."

"Well, he's not a pup anymore. We need to rename him." Mina said. "I mean, he's now a Big Howler!"

"Maybe only "Howler" would be better." Martin said.

"Yeah, it sounds okay too." Mina agreed. "So Howler it is."

"Here comes a female wolf!" Chris pointed out.

The female approached Howler, and they started chatting as wolves, howling and woofing between them.

"Hmm…sounds like trouble." Chris observed how sad the female seemed. "How about a little Nature Power on this case?" He held his medallion, activating his animal comprehension power.

Martin agreed, holding his medallion too. The glow from their medallions called Howler and the female wolf's attention.

"Wow…what was that?" Howler asked. The female remained stopped there. "Don't worry, they're friends. They're not gonna hurt you." Trusting his words, the female approached him

"We'll explain later. For now…what happened?" Mina asked.

"Well…a pup disappeared from the pack, during the moose chasing. The Alpha pair is desperated." The female answered.

"We can help you guys find it. It's not like we haven't leaded with a wolf pup before." Martin answered, caressing Howler.

"We'll need a little more help. The gang can try localizing the pup while flying in the Tortuga." Chris pointed out.

"Good idea. It's also oportune. Our Creaturepods need recharge." Mina said.

"So let's head back to the Tortuga, and head to the Creature Rescue!" Chris said, determinated. They all started running in the Tortuga's direction.

But, in the middle of the trail, before the brothers could notice, Mina tripped on a rock, and fell down a cliff, ending up in a deep hole, and breaking her Creaturepod.

"Now i know how Chris felt in the Flight of the Pollinators adventure. I'm stuck!" Mina complained. She saw the broken pieces of her Creaturepod, and feared that her brothers could worry about her.

Suddenly, a small whining called her attention. It was…a wolf pup! With a wounded paw.

"You must be the pup that disappeared. I bet you suffered the same as i, huh?" Mina asked the pup. Suddenly, a silhouette looked into the hole, with its human-like eyes.

"Uh…hi?"

* * *

Chris and Martin walked around the Tortuga, very worried.

"Boys, you're opening up a hole in the ground." Aviva warned.

"We're worried, Aviva. Mina disappeared and she doesn't answer the calls in our Creaturepods." Chris explained.

"How that could be possible, if my Creaturepod is broken?" Mina asked, entering the HQ. "I fell in a hole while we were returning to the Hq, but the good news is that i found the missing pup."

The pup entered the HQ, and Howler and his mate nuzzled her.

"Woof's paw is hurt. Can you help her?" Mina asked.

"No problem." Aviva said.

"Woof. Nice name. But how you came out of the hole?" Martin asked, relieved.

"Believe it or not … a very strange wolf saved me." Mina remembered.

 _"I assumed it was a female. She grabbed the strap of my dress with her mouth and took me up, while Woof was in my lap. When i took a good look at the wolf…he seemed to have human eyes. But before I could say or do anything, he heard something and left us there."_

"Wait…a wolf with human eyes?" Martin asked. "So it must be…"

"Oh, my!" Chris realized.

"What?" Mina asked.

"Take us back to the forest, and we'll explain in the way." Martin answered.

"Oh, before we go…Aviva, can you make a wolf costume for me?" Mina asked.

"Sure thing, sweetheart." She answered.

The Kratt siblings ran to the forest. Aviva thought about Mina's explanation about who saved her. Could it be…

* * *

"Wo-wo-wow…it was a female?" Mina asked. "Was that the Clarissa you told me about?"

"Yup." Martin answered."It's a long story…" He said, seeing Mina's confused stare.

"It all started after our first adventure…" Chris started explaining.

 _*flashback*_

 _Aviva was having many problems to fix my first Creature Power Suit. Failing to fix it, she decided to give me one of the many prototypes she made before the actual suits. This one, after a quick check-up, became the suit i use today. In the meantime, we received in our team our younger sister, Clarissa Kratt._

"But how you met?" Mina asked .

 _"Well…it all started on a stormy day … while the Tortuga was still being built…"_

 _Since the ceiling was still being built, we were protecting ourselves under a tree, when suddenly, we saw a girl, lost in the middle of the storm._

 _"HEY, KID! Get off the rain!" Martin called ._

 _"She seems scared." Chris noticed. He ran on her direction and brought her close to the tree._

 _The girl was a little older than we thought…around 11 or 12 years old. "Are you okay?"_

 _"I think so…"_

 _We welcome her at home, and Mom spoke to her. She told us she didn't remembered how she ended up there, but she did remebered losing her parents during a terrible incident._

 _We felt bad for her. So, with our family twins living with our father, Mom decided to give Clarissa a warm welcome to the family ._

"Awwnnn…" Mina smiled. "But how she…" She started wondering.

"Well, after our first adventure…"

 _"…we came back home to tell about the success of our mission. Clarissa was a little upset. She wanted to join the Wild Kratt Kids, that have been recently recruted, but she was rejected for being, well, a little older than the few children who entered."_

 _"Clarissa…I think there is a way you can help the team, without being a Wild Kratt Kid." Aviva said._

 _"How?" Clarissa asked ._

 _Aviva gave her a prototype suit she made. "I made this prototype power suit, when I started the project. Since it was not big enough for your brothers, I used it as base to make two bigger suits."_

 _"Thank you." Clarissa said. "I will make good use of it."_

 _So we decided to spend some time there, way before Aviva invented the Miniturizer and before the Squirmy Wormy adventure._

 _We heard rumors of a mysterious creature causing panic in the forest, and we decided to investigate._

 _"Look!" Clarissa pointed to a silhouette in the woods, and ran after it, finding it strangely familiar._

 _"Clarissa, wait!" Chris called._

 _Clarissa found a white wolf with red marks all over his body. Suddenly, a strange memory came to her mind._

 _"Darius?" She whispered. The wolf hatefully stared at her._

 _Suddenly, a shadow approached them and entered Clarissa's suit._

 _"What the..." Suddenly, the suit started glitching. After a powerful lilac glow, Clarissa found herself transformed into a wolf. "Huh…What?"_

 _Even frightened by the glow, Darius didn't ran away._

 _"You saw that glow?" Chris's voice was heard. When he and Martin arrived at that point of the forest, the two got scared about the white wolf coming their way._

 _Clarissa blocked his path and knocked him down. "Don't you dare hurting my brothers!" She said._

 _"Clarissa?" Martin was astonished. Was that their little sister._

 _She lowered her ears. "Yes." Darius stood up, furiously growling._

 _"But how?" Chris wanted to know what happened._

 _"I don't know. But now we have another problem!" She said_

 _Darius attacked Clarissa, biting her neck._

 _"No!" Chris wanted to do something, but Martin stopped him._

 _Darius was thrown on the floor by Clarissa. She could not believe how strong she was now._

 _Darius growled at Clarissa. "You hurt me a long time ago, and now, I will have my revenge! When we meet again, you will pay with your life!"_

 _He ran away, leaving Clarissa to faint on the floor. Chris and Martin observed her turning back to a human. She was full of bruises and wounds._

 _"Little sister…talk to us! Please…" Martin spoke, desperately. Tears fell from his blue eyes._

 _"We gotta take her back to the Tortuga." Chris said._

 _We took care of her bruises, and she recovered quickly. Soon, we noticed a strange aura in her CPS. She told us the "shadow"'s name was Faust._

 _But she had to leave. Faust told her that Darius needed to be stopped, but in his current status, he could not stop him by himself. So Clarissa agreed to let him live in her CPS and to help him defeating Darius._

 _But soon, Faust started living in Clarissa's body, and causing some uncontrollable transformations._

 _A little while later, fully recovered, and now controlling her new power…it was time to go._

 _"We'll never see you again, right?" Chris said._

 _" Of course we will … someday. Perhaps we'll meet again. But now, I have a job to do and someone to help." Clarissa hugged her brothers. "Thanks for being the best brothers I ever had."_

 _She leaved the Tortuga, leaving the team and her brothers._

"Beautiful…and sad…" Mina said.

"We lost contact with her ever since. Well, until today…"

"Guys! Look!" Mina called her brothers' attention. There was the wolf that saved her and its enemy fighting each other.

"It's Clarissa! And Darius too!" Martin said.

"I'm afraid." Mina hid behind Martin.

"She'll be okay. I hope." Chris said.

After a long time knocking out and biting each other, Darius ran away from Clarissa. The wolf fainted and returned to its human form: a girl with a lilac CPS and a long brown ponytail.

The Kratt brothers carried her to the Tortuga, being followed by Mina.

* * *

"Ugh…what…what happened?" Clarissa woke up slowly on a hammock. Martin and Chris smiled at her.

"Martin! Chris! Bros!" Clarissa extended her arms, so her brothers could embrace her. Mina approached them with Woof.

"Hey…you're the little girl i saved today." Clarissa recognized Mina.

"She's our new sister, Mina. You wouldn't believe if we told you what happened to us." Martin winked at her.

"After everything i saw in my journey, sincerely nothing can surprise me." Clarissa assured.

"According to what they told me, a ghost named Faust is living within you." Mina remembered the Kratts' explanation. "This explains the strange aura around you."

"Guys, sorry by interrupting such a warm family reunion, but i guess we have problems." Koki pointed out in the screen. "I sent a flycam to follow Howler and his mate on their way back to the wolf pack, and now…they're being attacked by a huge white wolf!"

"Darius…" Clarissa growled.

"Okay, Woof. Let's get you back home, and face that monster!" Mina said.

The Kratt brothers agreed, touching the wolf pup and activatng their wolf suits. Clarissa activated her powers too and turned back into a wolf.

"Hop on, sister!" Clarissa offered Mina a ride, which she accepted. The four siblings ran to the creature rescue.

"Aviva…can i move?" Jimmy asked.

"Oops. Perdonamé." Aviva said, unwrapping Jimmy and allowing him to run after her, Koki and Bite-Size.

* * *

The pack fought the intruder with all their might, but nothing seemed to work.

Soon, the pups hid in the cave.

The Kratt brothers and the crew got there just when Darius was about to enter the cave.

"He'll get Woof's siblings!" Mina said, desperately.

"Not if I do something!" Clarissa said, running to the pack and being followed by her brothers. The Tortuga crew kept observing from behind the bushes.

They stopped in front of Darius. "You'll not take away those innocent wolf pups!" Martin said.

The wolves also surrounded the intruder, not leaving him any chance of escaping.

The alpha male attacked Darius, but he bit his neck, throwing him against a tree.

"Father!" Howler said. Then, he growled at Darius and attacked him, helping Clarissa on the fight.

Defeated once again, Darius had no choice but to leave. "We'll see again." He growled, running away from the pack.

"Woo-hoo! We won!" Martin celebrated, high-fiving Chris.

"Guys, look." Mina called their attention. The wolves were reuniting around the alpha male. Even Woof and her pup siblings.

"Oh, no…" Clarissa said.

"He's…dying." Mina said, with a sad tone. "And he's telling Howler to take the lead."

The alpha male nuzzled Howler one last time, before closing his eyes and dying.

*BG music: Requiem of Spirit - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time*

After a short time, all the wolves started howling, mourning the loss of their beloved leader.

The Wild Kratts, also saddened by the terrible scene, and in tears, started howling too, as the sun set on the horizon.

* * *

After helping on the alpha's funeral, the Wild Kratts bid goodbye to Howler and his mate.

"Good luck, buddy." Martin said, caressing Howler.

"I hope you stay well." Chris said.

"I will. Thank you guys for the help." Howler said. Then, he ran back to the pack, ready to take the lead as alpha male.

"No matter how many times we defeat Darius, he'll always find a way to leave his mark." Clarissa said, with a little worry on her tone.

* * *

Back to the Tortuga, everything was ready for the costume party. Aviva was dressed up as a palotia lawesii, Koki weared her bat costume and Jimmy was once again dressed up as "Relax-O Jimmy". Mina danced with Martin with her brand-new wolf costume.

Clarissa turned around to leave.

"Hey, sis…aren't you staying for the party?" Chris asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Maybe we'll see each other someday again, but i must return to my journey and defeat Darius." Clarissa explained.

"Well…i only hope we see each other soon." Mina said.

"So do I, my little nymph sister." Clarissa said, embracing her. "Take good care of these two here." She winked at her.

"I will.' Mina chuckled.

Martin and Chris embraced Clarissa.

"Good-bye, sis. And good luck." Martin said, trying to contain his tears.

"We'll miss you even more." Chris told her.

"And i'll miss you guys…but i promise we'll see each other again." Clarissa said. She turned into a wolf again and left the Tortuga.

Mina started howling.

"What are you doing?" Martin asked.

"Wishing her good luck…i guess." Mina said.

Martin and Chris agreed with her idea and started howling too. Far from the Tortuga, Howler and the wolf pack also started howling.

 _Mina *voiceover*: "Dear Mother Nature, after the dangers we've been through today, I know that Gourmand, Zach and Donita aren't the only obstacles in our Nature Guardians' mission. My new sister, Clarissa, is after Darius again, and all I can do is wish her good luck on her journey, and hope that our paths may cross again. Even though i met her for a short while, i ask you: please, protect her. She's family…and i love her. From your daughter and Guardians' protector, Mina Kratt."_


	12. Episode 13: Attack of the Parasitics

The Tortuga HQ was flying over the city. The team received an emergency call from a child from the team.

"Hey there! What can we do for you?" Koki asked.

"You have to come to the park! It's a disaster!" Coraline said.

"Or it have been… we don't know for sure…" Tommy, a close friend of Coraline, said.

* * *

The Tortuga landed in the park, and the gang ran to see the kids.

"We're here. What happened?" Martin asked.

"First, we saw a dark cloud. Then, we heard a lot of humming sounds. The cloud entered Zach's building, then, the humming stopped," Coraline said.

"Do you think he's be planning something?" Martin said.

"If he is, we have to figure out what, and quick, before that dark cloud come back," Coraline said.

"It's already back," Tommy pointed out.

Mina felt a high concentration of power. Negative power. Pure evil.

"There's something wrong around here," she said.

* * *

They followed the cloud to Zach's home. Once there, the cloud disappeared.

"It's gone again," Tommy said. "I will not go in there."

"We'll go in there," Chris said.

"Oh, great. Whatever happened to the "need volunteers" stuff?" Jimmy complained.

"Better us than them," Koki scolded.

* * *

Inside Zach's home, everything was destroyed. Nobody was there. No Zachbots, neither animals… not even Zach himself.

"It seems that there were some arthropods here," Aviva analyzed some jars on the table.

"Ar-what?" Mina asked, still trying to find out where did all that negative energy came from.

"Arthropods," Martin explained, with his Creaturepod. "It's a group of insects, and it's the one with the biggest number of species, like beetles, termites, lice, fleas, dragonflies, cicadas …"

"Uh… and wasps?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes, of course." Martin agreed.

"Then watch out, 'cause here comes a giant arthropod!" Jimmy yelled. A giant wasp tried to attack them.

"DUCK!" Koki yelled. They all ducked immediatly, while the wasp flew around.

"Where did that thing came from?" Aviva asked.

"Surely it's not a robot," Chris analyzed with his Creaturepod, while they all hid behind some boxes.

"What are we going to do?" Koki asked.

"I know. What about that attack we trained?" Jimmy suggested.

"For what? To burn everything?" Chris said. "I have a better plan. We'll only need a bait."

They all looked at Martin, making him gulp.

"Hey, ugly! Come and get me!" Mina shouted, getting the bug's attention. The team gasped.

"Mina!"

Chris quickly used some vines to set a trap. "Okay. On my command." But before they could grab the wasp, a fireball was thrown on the insect's direction, making Aviva and Chris fall from the boxes.

"How you like that, buzzy?" Jimmy teased. The wasp stood up and flew after him and Mina.

"Hmmm… that wasp seems familiar… where have I seen it before?" Chris thought for a moment.

Mina kept floating, until Jimmy and her hid behind a box. "Quick! Here!" Aviva called them, once the wasp saw them.

Once they came close, Aviva trapped the wasp with the vines, but they didn't hold the bug for long.

Mina was really tired to float again. Martin saw the wasp was about to attack Mina.

"Mina!" He pushed her aside, and the wasp attacked him. He let out a short scream of pain. Once Martin was down, the wasp flew in Mina's direction.

The nymph girl closed her eyes in fear, until she noticed the wasp just approached her a little, then it fell on the floor.

"Wow… it worked. Mina tired it out," Jimmy said.

"No, Jimmy. The wasp is... dead. That's weird… it is deadly to a bug when it stings someone, but they don't actually die when they lose the stinger." Chris analyzed.

"Well, it lost it… in me!" Martin flinched in pain, with the stinger in his arm.

Aviva removed it and started bandaging his arm.

"Are you okay, bro?" Chris asked.

"Well… a little sore, but I think I'll be… *right eye twitches*… fine." Martin answered, rubbing his head. Aviva just stared, surprised about that eye twitch thing.

"Okay… that was weird… even for you," she said.

"HEY!" Martin complained. Suddenly, he look behind him. Something told him there was something there.

"Weird… I don't remember what kind of wasp this one was." Chris commented.

"Maybe a fig wasp?" Koki guessed.

"Nope. They have a different color pattern."

"Guys. Look," Martin called. He found… an egg. An giant wasp egg. This left Chris even more confused.

"Wow… this might be a problem," Coraline said. "If more wasps appear, who knows what kind of problems we'll face?"

"So let's destroy this thing," Jimmy shivered, thinking about the horror that new wasps would bring.

"No," Martin said, serious as never. "Let's take it to the Tortuga, so Aviva can analyze it. This is the only clue we have."

"Okay. so let's…" Mina was about to grab the egg, until Martin stepped in front of her.

"Don't touch it!" he said, with an angry tone and a fury stare.

"Hey, are you okay?" Koki asked. "Normally I give this kind of reaction."

Martin looked at them. "It's too fragile. I'll carry it."

"Like he was that cautious about his things…" Chris commented, still confused about the wasp.

* * *

Later, in the Tortuga, Chris was looking for answers in his books, but didn't found anything that could help him.

Meanwhile, Martin kept guarding the egg. Mina looked down, trying to hide her sadness.

"I don't understand. Martin never acted that way with me. He always lets me help," Mina admitted to Aviva.

"It's unusual for him to act like this with his siblings," Aviva agreed. Then, she tried to get close of the wasp egg with her Creaturepod.

Martin stood in front of the egg. His gaze was once again seriously.

"Calm down, Martin. I'll just scan the egg." He grabbed her shirt and pushed her. Koki held her before she hit the ground.

"Not…another…step!" Martin's voice seemed deeper. Everyone shivered, except for Chris, who was too focused in his search for answers.

"So … let's get going, guys." Aviva grabbed the concentrated Chris by the arm and everyone left the room, going to the Garage.

* * *

"How did Martin ended up acting like this?" Coraline asked.

"It all started after he got stung by that ginormous wasp." Mina analyzed the facts. This made Chris remember that his Creaturepod was recording the whole wasp incident.

"Let's see if any creature data on the computer is a match." He said, connecting his Creaturepod in the computer.

Meanwhile, in the main room, Martin kept watching over the egg. Suddenly, he felt a powerful pain on his head, like if something was taking control of his mind.

Soon, his screams of agony were heared by the team. Jimmy hid behind the kids. "W-What was that?"

At that instant, Chris found a match with the wasp they faced. The result made Chris gasp. "A… a parasitic wasp!"

"No! Not a parasitic!" Jimmy shivered. "Uh… what's a parasitic again?"

"B-but.. this doesn't make sense. No wasps of this kind lay eggs that way, neither grow to that ginormous size!" Chris was astonished. He checked the info on the computer. "Usually, female parasitic wasps lay their eggs INSIDE the hosts, and infects them with a virus that make them act like some kind of zombie. And these female wasps do not sting! It's unusual!"

"Zombie?!" Jimmy gasped.

"It's not that kind of zombie, Jimmy," Koki explained. "The virus turns the host into a "bodyguard" for the eggs. He believes he must protect the eggs. But this wasp acted totally different. It stung Martin, and laid her egg in the outside world."

"So… when the egg hatches… Martin will return to normal?" Mina asked.

"Not exactly. If it is a parasitic's egg, even with all the differences… the hatchling will feed itself on its host," Chris gulped. Mina held Jimmy, who was about to faint.

"Maybe I can work on an antidote, if Martin's actually infected. But we'll need a sample from the egg," Aviva said.

Suddenly, they all heared some stomping sounds coming from the main room. "A-anyone up to see w-what's happening?" Jimmy stuttered. He looked around and saw that… Aviva wasn't there anymore.

"Please don't tell me she…" Koki was saying, until she saw the door was opened.

"Yup," Chris confirmed.

* * *

Aviva sneaked into the main room, with her mechanical arm, to take a sample from the egg. It was quiet there… too quiet…

"Hola?" Aviva asked, shivering. Suddenly, she saw someone climb up the table. "M-Martin?" She used her lantern to see better, and what she saw make her gasp: Martin was there, staring at her, growling, drooling as a T-devil, and his eyes had black sclera with white pupils now!

Aviva screamed in panic, and used her mechanical arm to prevent being attacked, but the zombified Kratt Brother broke the robot arm, and nailed her left arm, making her flinch of pain.

For a short time, Martin's eyes came back to normal, once he saw he hurt his friend. "A-Aviva?… I… I didn't meant to…" Unfortunately, it didn't took long for Martin to be dominated by the virus again.

Aviva ran away, closing quickly the door. She sobbed quietly, with her arm itching. Soon, she started feeling the same thing Martin did. "Uh-oh…"

Chris spied through the garage door and saw the inventor sitting in front of the main room's door. "I'll go. Don't leave this room."

The Kratt in green knelt close to Aviva. "Oh, no. Don't tell me he…"

"It h-hurts…run, before i…" Aviva flinched in pain again. Her eyes started changing, and she started drooling. Chris got shocked: even through a scratch you could get infected. Something was positively not right there…

But even shocked by the fact, he quickly held a pot behind her mouth, grabbing some of her infected drool. Jimmy and Koki ran to help him, until Aviva jumped against him, already infected.

"Go! Work on an antidote! I'll be fine!" Chris said, giving them the pot, and being dragged to the main room, while screaming of panic.

* * *

Jimmy, Tommy and Coraline were hearing footsteps from the closed door. Was Chris really okay…or did he got infected?

Koki worked on the antidote, trying to remain calm, but it was simply impossible. Mina just floated around in circles, really worried about her siblings.

Luna appeared through a portal. "Hello, friends. I saw the whole thing through the temple's crystal ball. And I think I know what made the wasp that ginormous." Bite-Size looked around before leaving the portal.

"Hey! Where is everybody?" He asked. Luna looked at him. "Sorry, I was hunting for bugs while you observed the crystal ball."

"Did that bat talked?" Tommy asked .

"And that owl too?" Coraline asked. "Weird."

"Seriously? The talking animals are the weird thing about all this? " Luna complained.

"Sorry." Tommy and Coraline said.

"That's magic! Dark magic!" Luna said . "But if we inject this antidote thing on the first infected person, it'll eliminate the virus."

"Dark magic?" Mina asked. "That explains the strange, yet familiar vibrations around the place." Flashes of an memory came to her mind: memories of the last time she saw her sister Flora, when she gave her life to defend her little sister and the Earth Gem, from an unknown menace.

"The same kind of magic that whoever killed my sister had." She shivered. Jimmy looked at her. "Whoa. Intense."

Soon, they heard noises from the door. Seemed like someone left fist marks on the door.

"Oh…i just fixed that door." Koki lamented.

Suddenly, they heard growls coming … from outside? There was someone trying to get into the Tortuga

"Someone's crushing one of the Tortuga's paws!" Jimmy shivered, looking through a secret opening in the shell. "I think I know what happened to Zach now." The inventor was outside, with the same eyes as the infected.

"So HE's the main infected, not Martin. The wasp lost that… yuck… stinger with him, but the first she stung was Zach."

"I wonder how Chris is…" Mina looked at the fist-marked door.

* * *

Chris was hiding behind Koki's station, hoping that the infected ones coudn't see him. "I gotta get out of here… but how?"

His favorite green shirt and boots were destroyed by Martin and Aviva, leaving him only with his white shirt, shorts and socks.

"Fear not, precious. You'll soon be free…" Aviva told the egg.

* * *

"Zach's in! He opened a hole in the Tortuga's paw!" Jimmy gasped, closing the shell's secret opening.

"How's that possible? I mean, Zach may be smart, but he's really wimpy!" Koki commented.

"Just for you to know, zombies, no matter what kind it is, have a ginormous strenght. We can even compare its strenght to the orangutan's or gecko's." Jimmy said.

"Wow. How do you know so much?" Mina asked.

"Duh. You're talking with Jimmy Z, Geek of Horror Flick Knowledge!" He said, pointing his finger to the air and making a heroic-like pose. The rest just stared at him, with a "what?" face. "Sorry, there's a really cool dragon-like character i saw one day, and…"

His speech was interrupted by bumps on the floor.

"*gasp* Zach's here!" Koki said. "HIDE!" They all hid behind boxes, in the closets and behind some of Aviva's inventions.

Zach crushed the floor and stepped in. He growled looking around, then walked to the main room, in slow steps. Mina, Tommy and Coraline looked from behind the Cheetah Racer, to see if the coast was clear.

* * *

"You're late," Martin said, once Zach came in. His voice was deep and distorted.

Chris gasped. "Well, this excludes Zach from my suspiction list. He may have got the wasp, but I don't think his growing serum made her so big."

"Do not tell me you invited this jerk," Aviva commented. Yeah, even zombified, Zach remained their enemy.

"Look who's talking!"

When the two started to arguing, Chris took the opportunity to escape. "Man, not even as zombies they give a break on their rivarly."

Chris ran to the garage, breathing hard. "Chris!" Mina ran to hug him.

"Are you okay?" Koki asked.

"You're not infected, are you?" Jimmy shivered.

"No. The only thing they grabbed from me that time was my green shirt, then I hid behind Koki's station." Chris explained.

"It was dark magic, Chris!" Koki said. "That clouds we saw around Zach's building were made of it. But if we put this antidote on Zach, it'll bring them all back to normal."

"Magic…this explains everything! Especially the changes on the wasp's behavior and body." Chris finally understood what was going on.

"The only thing is…how we're gonna inject the antidote on him, without risking being bitten by our zombified friends?" Luna asked.

"I'll do this." Jimmy said.

"You?" Everybody asked, confused.

"Yeah, in horror flicks, most of the times, the "scaredy cat" of the team saves the day." Jimmy assured. "Just for a change, I want to be a hero. But we're going to do this…my way."

Koki chuckled. Chris sighed, not having any options left. "Well, at this point, i'll try anything."

* * *

Aviva and Martin continued to fight Zach. Suddenly, Chris entered.

They stopped fighting and began to face the Kratt in green.

Chris was sweating cold, trying to rely on Jimmy's crazy plan. The infected ones started approaching him in slow steps, while Jimmy and Koki opened a part of the floor and came up with a syringe containing the antidote.

"Now!" Jimmy threw a fireball on the wall, holding his medallion. Aviva tried to catch the ball that bounced.

"Jimmy, help!" Chris yelled desperately while Martin and Zach around him.

Koki grabbed his medallion and lured Martin away with her light. Jimmy took advantage of the distraction and injected the antidote in Zach's arm, just when he was about to bite Chris.

Zach started to come back to normal, after squirming for a while. Quickly, the zombie effect also disappeared from Martin and Aviva.

"What am I doing here?" He asked, confused and upset.

"Huh? What?" Martin looked around, a little dizzy.

"Huh? Qué pasó?" Aviva asked. Suddenly, she remembered and looked at her arm. "The scratch is gone!"

Martin soon remembered what happened before the virus attack and before it affect him again after infecting Aviva. "Wait … uh-oh."

"I can't believe it! It worked!" Chris said.

"Woo-hoo!" Koki hugged Jimmy, soon stepping back a little, and blushing along with him.

"See? I told you! Zombies get easily distracted with any noise or thing, because they're not THAT smart!" Jimmy said. "A lesson learned with Jimmy Z, Geek of the Tortuga HQ!"

"Give us a break, big bro." Mina chuckled, along with Tommy and Coraline.

Suddenly, the egg began to hatch.

"Uh, guys … what happens to the egg's bodyguards when it hatches?" Coraline asked.

But instead of just one wasp, three giant wasps were born from the egg.

"They're devoured by the newborns!" Chris panicked.

"Run!" Tommy yelled.

The newborn wasps begin to chase them. Mina floated a little, using the little bit of power she had to levitate some objects.

In that instant, Mother Nature appeared, followed by Luna and Bite-Size.

"Stand back, dark magic!" She raised her hands, and with her power's light, she expelled a strange black magic aura from the wasps, making them return to normal size. The clouds escaped through the holes left in the Tortuga.

Meanwhile, Zach found a way to run away from there, escaping through where he came in. "This is too weird! I'm outta here!"

"Thanks for your help." Mina thanked hugging her mother.

"Aren't you going after Zach?" Luna asked.

"I think he's no longer a problem." Chris said.

"For now, my doubts are about the source of the first wasp's dark magic." Koki said.

"I think someone was either testing you…or simply causing mayhem." Mother Nature seriously thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Mystical Garden, the dark magic cloud went back to a certain statue, hidden by some plants.

"Hmm … these new guardians are quite brave …" A feminine, deep voice came from it. It observed the Nature Guardians through her clouds. "Wild Kratts, huh? *evil chuckle*" The statue's eyes glowed.

* * *

Back to the Tortuga, after a night of panic, everyone helped to fix the ship, while Mina, Chris and Martin talked with Mother Nature.

"Mina, I'm sorry." Martin said. "I never wanted to treat you that way. Seriously."

"It's okay. It was the virus that did this. You're still my big brother!" Mina said, hugging Martin.

"And Aviva, sorry I scratched you." Martin apologized.

"Like Mina said, it was the virus. It's okay, mi amigo." Aviva said, kissing him on the cheek.

"In this case, the virus and wasp were also victims." Chris thought. "If we consider that all happened because of dark magic. Boy, that's new for me."

"And I think we learned something from all this." Mina said. "Especially about not underestimating the others's capacity. In the end, it was Jimmy's plan and horror movie knowledge that saved us all."

"Finally, Jimmy thought of something else, besides eating." Koki said. Everyone chuckled a little.

"It will take a while until the Tortuga's paw is repaired." Aviva said. "I think we'll be here in the city for some days."

"And we have a great adventure for the Wild Kratts Diary." Martin said.

"And you gave it a name?" Mina asked.

"Actually I did." Jimmy appeared with the diary and pointed to a page with a horror movie poster-like drawing, with the team surrounded by black eyes with white irises. "Attack of the Parasitics."

Everyone laughed.


	13. Episode 14: Part of Your World

Koki sat down at her station, and glanced at the bat box on the wall next to her computer. And she could've sworn a small sigh come from inside it as well.

She was going to knock on her little buddy's bat box, when Mina touched her leg.

"Give him some time, Koki. He had a bad day. A REALLY bad day." Mina remebered how the day was…

 _She and Bite-Size were on the playground. Mina was playing with some Wild Kratt Kids._

 _Bite-Size looked over at two girls that were playing and pushing each other on the swings._

 _"Hey! Maybe they want to play too!" Bite-Size told Mina. But as soon as he flew over…_

 _"Hey guys! Wanna play-"_

 _"Eek! A bat!" One girl shouted._

 _"Ah! It's going to bite me!" The other said getting off the swing._

 _"Hey! Wait!" Bite-Size called. He followed the girls, but everywhere he flied, people screamed and tried hitting him, calling him "rodent" or "blood-sucking creep"._

 _He returned to the park, breathing hard._

 _"Why…are they….doing this to me?" Bite-Size asked Mina as he collapsed on her shoulder, too breathless to say much else._

Bite-Size sobbed quietly on his bat box. Koki just imagined how horrible that day have been for him.

"I don't get it! Why would people be so terrible to a little brown bat?" Koki asked.

"The same reason you were afraid of them at a point, Koki." Martin said walking, overhearing the conversation. "Unfortunately, some people don't even try to know

different creatures or people. It's sad, but that's the truth."

"And one reason for my nymph powers' weakness." Mina admitted.

Bite-Size looked outside, and saw Koki's hand under the bat box. "Come on, Brownie Boy. You know that's not your fault."

"I can't take this anymore!" Bite Size suddenly blurted.

Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Even when I was just a teenie tiny little brown bat pup, new to the outside world…my mother was tormented like this….what about you guys? No one seems to mess

or pick on you!" He yelled, small tears falling down his cheeks.

"Au contraire, buddy. I guess we all had this kind of problem in our lifes." Martin said.

"*sigh* You know, in days like these…i really wished i was a human." Bite-Size admitted.

Aviva entered the HQ with a storybook. "Hey, Mina. I took a break after working on the Tortuga's paw and look what i got in the library. Aesop's Fables."

"Wow! My sister had a book like this." Mina remebered. "She used to read me some fables anytime i had a problem."

"Well…I think we have as good of a problem as any right now." Martin admitted, pointing at Bite-Size with his thumb. "Why don't we try this then?"

"Hmm…let's see…how about this one?

 _The Cat and Venus._

 _One time, a cat fell in love with a handsome young man, and entreated Venus to change her into the form of a woman._

 _Venus consented to her request and transformed her into a beautiful damsel, so that the youth saw her and loved her, and took her home as his bride."_

"Venus? That's Aunt Aphrodite's Roman name." Mina said.

 _"While the two were reclining in their chamber, Venus's wishing to discover if the Cat in her change of shape had also altered her habits of life, let down a mouse in the middle of the room._

 _The Cat, quite forgetting her present condition, started up from the couch and pursued the mouse, wishing to eat it. Venus was much disappointed and again caused her to return to her former shape._

 _Nature exceeds nurture."_

"Wow. That was an impressive story. Whatcha think…" Koki turned around, and saw that Bite-Size disappeared. "Bite-Size?"

* * *

Luna guided Bite-Size to Aphrodite's temple. "Are you sure about this, Bite-Size?"

"I've never been more sure in my life, Luna. If I become human, not only I'll not be picked on anymore, but maybe I'll also be an equal with the team.

"…Aren't you already?" Luna asked.

"Forget it…nevermind." Bite-Size replied.

"I know exactly how you feel about being a human. I used to be a human a long time ago, but…a terrible incident turned me into what you see." Luna said.

"Wow, really?" Bite-Size asked.

"Well…who's there?" A beautiful young woman, with sparkly blue eyes, a long pink dress and a long yellow hair appeared. Her voice was as sweet and tender as the wind.

"Wow…" Bite-Size said, clearing his throat. "Are you…Aphrodite?"

"I am. And who comes to me as a visitor?" She asked.

"Um…i'm Bite-Size…" He said.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Aphrodite asked.

"Um…my name is…Bite-Size…"

"Didn't quite catch that."

"Bite-Size…" He said, almost squeaked, blushing.

"He's Bite-Size, Aphro. And it's me, Luna." The owl said. "He needs your help."

"Help with what if I may ask?" Aphrodite asked.

"I was…um…wondering if I could be turned human. No one seems to like me and they think I'm just a nasty old….rodent…" Bite-Size said, looking down, remembering how hurtful the word was to him.

"Hmmm…a cat, a long time ago, ask me the same thing. I told her that turning into a human would have a big cost for her life." Aphrodite said.

"But this bat life is costing me very much too!" Bite-Size whined. "I just…don't know how much more I can take being judged!"

"Well…i can find a way. The question is: will you be able to take it?" Aphrodite asked.

"Of course! It'd be a better life than this one where I'm a nobody." Bite-Size remarked.

"Well…okay, little one. But remember this advice: sometimes what you want is not exactly what you need…"

* * *

Later, in the Tortuga, Aviva, Koki and the others were really worried about Bite-Size.

"He couldn't have flown far." Mina said.

"Mina's right. Bats can fly up to 60 miles per hour, but usually they just cruise along between 4 and 10." Martin explained.

"Looking for someone?" Luna asked, entering the HQ. She showed them her portal, and a boy came from it. A boy with a little fang on his smile, grey eyes, pointy ears and light brown messy hair.

"Hey, guys."

The crew couldn't believe it. Was that…

"….Bite-Size?!" Koki asked surprised, after seeing the boy coming out of the portal.

"Hey, Koki." He said smiling.

"Bite-Size….what happened to, uh….you?" Chris asked shocked.

"Fables don't lie." He winked.

* * *

"She is beautiful, and really kind. She gave this medallion, so i could become a human. Apparently a part of the fable was missing: the one that explained how the cat turned into human." Bite-Size showed them a half-heart medallion.

"Why is it only half a heart?" Aviva asked, looking at the medallion more closely.

"According to her, the previous owner…the cat…lost the other half after being left behind by her former husband. It simply disappeared."

"Wow…intense." Mina said.

"Yeah." Bite Size agreed.

"So…what are you planning to do now that you're….human?" Chris asked.

"What i always wanted to do." He said, grabbing Mina's hand, and running to outside the Tortuga. The crew just shrugged.

*BGM music: The Monkees - Pleasant Valley Sunday*

In the park, Bite-Size played with Mina around the park.

This time, the kids didn't minded another friend in the game. All the kids played around Bite-Size, who was enjoying that a lot.

He spent the whole afternoon playing, grabbing toys on trees, and chatting.

* * *

The sun was setting, and Mina and Bite-Size were still playing.

"Hey, Bite-Size! Race you across the monkey bars!" Mina called.

"Okay!" Bite-Size ran to follow Mina, until he was blocked by someone: a boy, way bigger than him.

"So, you think you rule over the playground, don't you?"

"Uh….no…" He replied.

"Just kidding, dude." He grabbed Bite-Size, and rubbed his head, messing up his hair. "Name's Jack. Oldest, coolest, and the most awesomest kid in all the playground."

Bite-Size looked around, and saw three other boys joining him. "Judging how you played around with the pipsqueaks there, i have to say: you are the most agile folk i ever saw." Jack said.

"Um…thank you?" Bite-Size didn't know if he should trust that guy.

"We're going to the Ice Cream Parlor later. Wanna join us…um…so what's your name?"

"Uh…Bite-Size." Bite-Size replied.

Jack and the other kids laughed. "That's a fitting nickname for ya."

Bite-Size nervously chuckled. "Sure…nickname…"

"See ya there then, Bites!" Jack and his friends waved to him and left the playground.

"That was AWESOME!" Bite-Size cheered, completely forgetting about Mina, as he returned to the Tortuga.

"Hmm…why do i feel this is not gonna end well?" She couldn't believe that: he just ignored her.

* * *

"Hey, guys!" Bite-Size shouted, as he came into the HQ. "Today was great! I made a lot of new friends and even….guys?"

Bite-Size looked as the team and they seemed as if they didn't notice him at all. They were just sitting there with their eyes closed.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Oh, hi, Bite-Size. Sorry. We're concentrated in the meditation session." Koki opened one of her eyes.

"Oh!" Bite Size covered his mouth. He knew he could not interrupt. "Sorry…I'll just go over to my house for a while and-" He suddenly realized he couldn't exactly FIT into that small bat box anymore.

"Oh!" He laughed at himself, "Guess that won't work."

"So, how was your first day as a human, Brownie Boy?" Koki asked her buddy.

"It was awesome!" Bite-Size said with a little bit of an excited squeal.

* * *

That night, Koki and Bite-Size went for a walk around the city. He told her everything about his first day as a human. Soon, he saw Jack and his gang.

"Hey. If it isn't Bite-Size. How are ya, pipsqueak?"

"*giggle* Really fine. Oh, this is my own - i mean, my friend Koki."

"Hey there. Bite-Size told me about you guys. So, what are you planning to do?" Koki asked.

"Ah, we were planning on heading over to the local cafe for a little midnight snack. Wanna come, Bite-Size?" He offered.

"Hmm…sounds cool. Where it will be?" The bat-turned-into-human asked. Koki, somehow, didn't liked the look on Jack's eyes.

"Come with us, pipsqueak. You'll love the place."

"Okey. Well, see ya later, Koki." They all left, leaving Koki curious and a little suspicious about Jack.

"Something's not right around here…"

Koki walked back into the HQ. Everyone welcomed her.

"Hey Koki! …Where's Bite-Size?" Mina asked, noticing the boy wasn't with her. "I needed to talk with him."

"Guys…I have the strange feeling he might get into trouble…" Koki answered.

* * *

Bite-Size followed his new friends to the cafe they were talking about. Close to the place, there was a family of bats living inside a tree.

Bite-Size walked up to them.

"Hey guys." He said walking up. The bats just stared at him like they had never seen him.

"Eew! Look at that winged rats over there!" Jack said. They all laughed. Bite-Size didn't wanted to look strange to them, so he laughed a little too.

"Yeah…winged rats…"

In that same tree, Martin, Chris and Koki secretly observed their buddy.

"Ohhhhh, I knew those boys were trouble!" Koki said.

"They're changing who he is since he doesn't know any better." Martin remarked.

"You're right. Bite-Size may have turned human, but he doesn't know anything about the human world, besides what we taught him." Koki said.

"We need to save him before he says or does something he'll REALLY regret." Chris chimed in.

* * *

"Thanks for the make-over, guys. Especially the jacket." Bite-Size said. He admired his new looks.

"No problemo. You're popular, you have us as your best friends…what else could you ever need?" Jack said.

"Yeah…i guess you're right…"

"Oh, yeah. How about showing us how awesome you are?"

"Okay. What do i have to do?"

The boys looked at each other, each with a sly, mischievous smile on their faces.

* * *

They all went to the park, where the two girls who were afraid of Bite-Size were. They talked about how cute the new boy were, while playing with the frogs in the pond.

"That little fang is sooo cute."

"I like his eyes."

The boys observed them. "Okay, i go first." Jack said. He climbed a tree and grabbed something on it.

Bite-Size's eyes opened wide, once he saw that Jack grabbed a bat.

"What he's gonna do?"

"Drop it next to them!" One of the boys replied.

"What?!" Bite-Size was shocked.

"Make them run around like…little girls." Another laughed.

Bite-Size couldn't believe in what he just heard, neither the hidden Wild Kratts.

"Oh, no!"

Jack walked to the little girls, like he didn't wanted anything with them. Then, he dropped the bat close to them. They screamed and the bat flied around them, making them run away.

"No one around. The lake is ours, dudes!"

All the other boys just ran over while Bite-Size stood there in shock.

"You coming, Bite-Size?" Jack called.

"Um…okay…" Bite-Size had to see what they were planning. The Wild Kratts hid in a bush, following him.

"What is he doing?" Koki asked out loud to herself. She didn't want her friend being hurt.

"Why you expelled that poor little girls?"

"This lake is part of our territory. And we don't allow here anyone we don't like." One of the boys said.

Bite-Size gulped.

"So, pipsqueak…do us a favor and annihilate that winged rat we used. No witnesses about what happened here." Jack said, giving him a slingshot.

"Oh no he didn't!" Chris said starting to get a little furious.

"Take it easy bro." Martin warned, but putting his arm in front of his brother before he could do something he'll regret.

"Crush him!" The boys cheered. Bite-Size looked at the scared bat on the tree, then at the slingshot. Then, he looked up.

"NO! He's a living creature, not a monster! I am not doing this!" He broke the slingshot in two and threw the pieces in the lake.

Jack went wide-eyed.

"Excuse me!?" He asked with fury in his eyes, walking up to Bite-Size and grabbing him by his tan T-shirt. "Have you just challenged me?!"

"No! I only stood up for what's right! That thing you called a rat it's a living creature. He has feelings, thoughts…and maybe even plans for the weekend."

"That little creep there! Hah! I suggest you become a man and destroy that parasite, or else."

Bite-Size winced, but then looks up, determination in his eyes.

"I'm NOT hurting an innocent little creature!"

He bit the bully's hand, maikng him let go of his t-shirt.

"Why you little…." He was going to shout, until that same two girls appeared. They have observed everything and came to help Bite-Size.

"Leave him alone."

"And why should I listen to you?! You're just a bunch of girls!" Jack said, sticking his tongue out at the two children. "Now step aside while i gave this brat what he deserves."

"You mean this BAT!" Bite-Size removed his medallion and threwed it on the floor, turning back into a brown bat in a flash. They all gasped.

"Woo-hoo! I knew he would do the right thing!" Koki cheered.

"Huh? Hey, who's there?" Jack asked, looking at the bush.

"Oops."

"Koki?" Bite-Size called.

"Well, we lost one, but we still have another to crush." Jack said.

Bite-Size gulped once he heard that words.

The Wild Kratts left the bush and stood up in front of him.

"No way, you little troublemaker!" Koki said.

"Hey! Aren't you…" Jack started.

"Yes, and I'm not gonna let you hurt him!"

"Then…how about you?" One of the boys suggested.

"Oops." Koki muttered.

"Uh..Koki?" Martin asked. "Do something!"

"We're in trouble. They're kids. I can't hurt them."

"But i can!" Another voice was heard. A woman approached them. "Jackson! You're in big trouble."

"M-mom?"

"Thank you for letting me know what was going on." She thanked Mina.

"No problem, miss." She said, as the mother held the boy's hand firmly.

"You'll be in trouble once we get home!"

"Mina!" The Kratt brothers cheered.

"But how?" Koki asked.

"After Bite-Size met Jack… _*flashback*_

 _I didn't trusted that look on his eyes, when they met on the playground. I needed to know his true intentions, so once you guys left the Tortuga to spy Bite-Size, i activated my inner raccoon._

 _I took a shortcut to find that troublemakers first, and secretly spied them. That boy should take better care of his things, cause a picture of him and his mother fell from his jacket's pocket. *flashback ends*_

And while hearing them, i understood he only wanted to be friends with you because he was jealous of your popularity." She explained to Bite-Size.

"But instead of letting go, he tried to use me, and make me look like a bad guy." Bite-Size understood everything now.

"See, Bite-Size? Even in the human world there are still gonna be people who take advantage of you, and not see you as you really are." Koki explained.

"Yeah…you're right. Sorry, guys. I totally forgot about who were my real friends. I was so overjoyed that no one was running away from me."

His speech was interrupted by one of the little girls.

"I said that he was a monster, and he would only mean trouble." She said, making Bite-size lower his head. But then, she raised her hand for him to land and approached him of her, like she was hugging him. "I was never so wrong in my life."

Bite-Size chirped happily, seeing Koki wink to him and the Kratt bros and Mina smiling.

* * *

Luna was ready to write a letter. Bite-Size had something really important to tell Mother Nature.

 _"Dear Mother Nature, today I learned that you should always be proud and thankful for who you are, or, in my case, WHAT you are. Because no matter where you go, There's always going to be somebody who doesn't approve of you, and you need to just accept that. But in this same way, there will be also people who like you for what you are. And these are the people you should valorize in your life. From your loyal bat friend, Bite-Size."_

Luna finished writing and looked at him. "Looks like you finally understood Aphrodite's lesson."

"Indeed i did." Bite-Size chuckled. "And I'm happy she allowed me to keep the medallion. Maybe I'll use it someday again."

"Hey, girls." Mina waved to the two little girls from before.

"Hey. I was wondering if you and your bat friend would be interested in joining us in our tea time tomorrow." One of them invited.

Bite Size smiled at the girls.

"Sure. Why not?" He squeaked.

"Looks like we're both there." Mina winked.

Martin and Koki observed everything.

"Well, nothing like a happy ending." Koki said.

"Yeah. The BATtest ending ever!" Martin joked, making them all laugh.


	14. Episode 15: Magical Mystery Madness

"Woo-hoo!" Martin celebrated. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe Mina's birthday is today!"

"Me neither, bro. But can you please keep it down? I'm trying to meditate. I need my powers to be completely under control," Chris said.

He winced in concentration... however Martin continued to talk loudly. "Come on brother, it's not like you were born with them!"

Until Chris could hear muffled noises coming from his brother. "There... now they're working," he said, looking back at his brother that had been tangled up and gagged by a vine that Chris made.

"Hey, guys!" Aviva's voice was heard, breaking Chris's concentration, and making him drop Martin.

"*groan* When it's not you, it's... her..." Chris became impressed. Aviva was wearing a purple dress with black details.

"Wow, Aviva. You look MARVELOUS!"

" _Gracias_. But you still haven't saw what I made for you guys."

"Wait... you made us something?"

" _Si_ ," Aviva replied throwing over two tuxedos, one with a green bow tie, the other with blue.

"No way... I don't do tuxes," Martin said, before Chris shoved him into the nearest closet.

"Deal with it and change! Aviva made these for us, don't just turn them down."

"Besides, I think you'll change your mind once you see what I prepared for you, MK." Aviva secretly looked in the closet.

"Hey! No peeking!"

"Oh. Sorry."

* * *

Everyone in the Tortuga was getting ready, even Bite-Size and Luna.

"I never went to a gala before, Luna. I'm nervous," the bat admitted.

"Just remember to breath and you'll be fine," Luna replied with a giggle.

"Martin, stop moving!" Chris tried to fix his big brother's bowtie.

"I can't help it! This thing is choking me!"

"Well, if you'd hold still... I'll loosen it!" Chris replied, grabbing the bow tie and tugging it, making it looser.

"It'll be only for a while, MK. The Magical Mystery Gala is a very unique oportunity," Aviva reminded.

"Still..." Martin said, straightening his bow-tie. "Like I said, I don't do tuxes," he said as he slumped.

"Wait a moment. You're going to love what I also made," Aviva warned, opening a curtain and impressing the brothers.

* * *

Some time later, the Tortuga entered a portal, landing in the way to Mother Nature's Temple.

"I'm so excited!" Bite-Size cheered.

Once the crew left the place, his and Luna's eyes widened: Martin was wearing a pair of fake, blue falcon wings, Chris, a green tail and draco lizard wings, Jimmy, a yellow mask and gloves with long sloth nails, Aviva, a black cape and a tiara with six purple wires, resembling a Lawes's Parotia head, and Koki was wearing a pair of fake orange bat wings and ears.

"Wow... they look awesome."

"And you still haven't seen the birthday girl." Aviva winked.

"Hey, where is she, anyway?" Martin asked, looking behind him, not seeing her there.

"Here she comes." Luna pointed up with her wing. A carriage carried by pegasus landed, and Mina came out of there, wearing an elegant pink dress and wolf ears and tail.

"Not bad if I do say so myself," Mina teased. "Thanks Aviva!"

"No problem," she called back.

"Wow... you look like a princess." Martin was impressed. He knelt to her and kissed her hand.

"There it is, guys. With all that we imagined, this night is promising to be the BEST NIGHT EVER!" Mina said.

*BGM music: Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days*

Mina and the others walked in the temple's direction, while each one imagined how wonderful could that night be for them all.

Aviva imagined herself in the Mystical garden, playing with birds and critters.

Jimmy could see himself selling yummy sweets, like chiparoos and brownies.

Koki could see herself meeting her long-lost brother in the gala.

Chris could see himself adventuring around the place with the Creature Adventurer Club.

Martin could see himself having fun like never before, with all kinds of people.

And Mina saw herself, celebrating her birthday, with all of her friends and family.

"Now, guys, let's at least try to-" Bite Size cut himself off as the five scattered into different directions. "Have fun... together..."

"Well, let them have fun around the place for a while. For now, I need to find Mommy," Mina said.

"Okay. I'll take Bite-Size to take a look around the party. We'll see ya later!" Luna said, guiding Bite-Size.

* * *

Mina saw Mother Nature in an empty room. She ran to hug her.

"Oh, my little Wilhelmina, how beautiful you look. Flora would sure love to see you now," she said, smiling.

"Yeah... first time in years that I celebrate my birthday with my family," Mina sighed.

* * *

Jimmy brought a special booth, filled with lots of special sweets and sandwiches. "Okay. Let the selling begin! Grandma Jimmena will sure thank me for helping her this way."

* * *

Martin entered a hall full of different people: gods, semi-gods, nymphs, angels, even centaurs and others.

"Oh... my... gosh!" Martin said, excitedly. He ran to talk to one of them.

"Hey. Nice to meet y-" The woman hissed. It was a Gorgon, with serpents for hair, and wearing glasses to prevent turning someone into stone.

"Wow... how crude," he observed as he walked around.

He saw an arrow coming in his direction, and ducked.

A boy with wings and a diaper passed by him.

"What the heck was that?" Martin thought.

He slipped on a puddle and wetted his fake falcon wings.

The sea nymph that created that puddle simply walked away.

"This is no place for wimpy people. It's a place for gods and mystical creatures," she criticized, leaving Martin shocked and a little upset.

* * *

Aviva walked through the gardens, hearing the birds singing as well as some other animal sounds. She looked over to she a beautiful bluebird sitting on a branch.

"How pretty... okay, Aviva, just be careful..." She tiptoed to get a better look, but somehow the birds noticed her and flied away.

"What? What's wrong? Come back!"

* * *

Koki looked around, with a picture of her brother in her hands. Mother Nature had guaranteed her that she would help her see Joey again.

"I wonder where he could b..." She suddenly bumped with someone.

"Oh! Sorry, I..." Koki's eyes widened. "...Joey?" She looked at the picture again. Same hair, same eyes, same leather jacket...

"...Koki?" the man asked. "Ah knew ah would recognize ya. Only you would be "bumping" into one like dis."

"Uh... yeah..." Koki said. "Sure... but, boy, haven't saw you in years."

"Well, ah say we take a look around the place, and see what this party has to offer." Joey grabbed her by the arm.

* * *

A man wearing a grey shirt and carrying a backpack approached Jimmy's booth. "So, fella... hungry?"

"Like a bear!" he chuckled, joking with his own name. It was Bear Grylls.

"So what's gonna be? Chiparoos, Brownies, sandwiches..." Grylls thought it over.

"How about a nice bag of those chiparoos of yours?" He asked.

"At your service." Jimmy gave him a bag of chiparoos, receiving back some golden coins. "Woo-hoo! First minute, first sell! Just what I wanted!"

"Hey, Bear. You're going to eat again?" a man with spiky hair (not as spiky as Chris's hair) and black shirt asked. It was Nick Baker.

"Well, being out there in the wilderness, it's sort of hard to find sweets," Bear teased. But as he lift up his hand, the bag of chiparoos opened and they started falling. Chris saw that happening, and lassoed a chair with his fake tail, saving the chiparoos.

"Wow... you saved them! Thanks," Bear thanked.

"No problem," Chris said.

"Yeah... lucky shot, folk," Nick said. Deep within, he felt a little envy.

"Why, don't be like this to him, Nicholas." An old man, wearing blue, with a white beard and glasses approached.

"*gasp* Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Jean-Michel Cousteau!" Chris said. "Hi, I'm..."

"Chris Kratt, right? I read about you and the Wild Kratts' amazing creature rescues."

Chris was speechless. "I... you... huh?"

"And let me say... your abilities sure are impressive. You saved lots of lives... and of course, saved Grylls's cookies," Jean-Michel pointed out. Grylls hungrily devoured the cookies. "Why don't you come with us? A young lad like you would be very welcomed in our club."

"Oh my gosh! It would be awesome!" Chris said, excited. Jean walked past him. "I'm... hanging out with... Jean Michel Cousteau!" Chris quietly sort of... high squeaked to himself in pure excitement before running in after the adventurers.

* * *

"Come with me, Mina. I wanna show you something." Mother Nature guided her daughter to the highest part of her temple.

"Don't you think we should call my family?" Mina asked.

"Not at the moment." She showed her something that made her eyes glow. "You'll know when to use it."

* * *

"La, la, la..." Aviva chanted, hearing a whistle. She saw a nymph working on the flowers.

"It was you?"

"Huh? O-oh, yes. I-I like whistling while working in the garden," she said, shyly and floating away.

"Wow... how shy..." Aviva commented, until she heard some more birds. " Oh! A honey guide! And a palotia lawesii! And, oh, another bluebird!"

* * *

"So he thinks he can take my spotlight?" Nick Baker said, looking at Chris in pure envy. He grabbed a rope and pulled a close chair, making a young girl fall from there. Then, he saved the kid and called the other adventurers' attention. Chris couldn't believe what he just saw.

* * *

"So, sis..." Joey said, throwing a little rock away. "Ah rememba how much of a pipsqueak you were... Always screamin because of bugs and bats..."

"Well... I've grown up a lot since then, Joey. I can honestly say that a bat's my best friend now. The bugs on the other hand... still have to get used to them."

"Oh..." Joey tried to pretend he was not disgusted. "Uh... wha don't we eat something?" He didn't even waited for Koki to answer. He grabbed her arm and ran, pushing a centaur on the water. He didn't even apologize.

* * *

"First seconds, first selling..." Jimmy counted. "Seconds... minutes... hours I don't sell anything..." Actually, it haven't passed that much of time, but he was impatient for new clients. "It didn't go as I expected."

* * *

"Lots of different people... and no fun at all... _not_ what I expected..." Martin complained.

* * *

Chris saw how Nick was full of himself. He caused the accident and he was being applauded, wanting all the attention. " _Not_ what I expected..."

* * *

Koki saw how her big brother behaved against people: he pushed doors, slamming in some people's faces, and didn't even apologize for them. "He's not what I expected..."

* * *

Aviva tried getting close to the birds... but nothing worked. "No way as I imagined."

"No!" Martin said.

"I've waited a really long time..." Chris said.

"For this moment..." Koki said.

"And I'm not..." Aviva said.

"Going to let it slip by..." Jimmy said.

"Ii it's the last thing I do..." Martin said

"... I'll make this night..." Chris said.

"... PERFECT!" they all shouted.

* * *

"Okay, Koki... give him a chance. You haven't seen him in years... you don't remember much about him... or do you?" Koki spoke to herself. "I'm sure he knows how to behave."

"Wait up! What's this puddle doin' here?" Joey complained, not noticing a sea nymph behind him.

He ripped a piece of her dress.

"Hey!"

"Let's go, sis," he said, not caring about the woman. Koki's eyes widened.

* * *

"So, he wants to impress, huh? I'll show Nick what's impressing!" Chris said, determinated.

* * *

"Okay, Aviva. Be smart..." Aviva needed to see those birds. She slowly went up to touch another beautiful blue bird when it flew off. Completely frustrated now, she growled and hollered, "COME OUT!"

* * *

"Well, a dollar shall do it," Jimmy said, selling two loafs of chocolate zucchini bread.

"I'll pay!" Joey bumped Koki aside with his elbow.

"No, I'll pay!" Koki said.

"No problem, Koki. I'll get you covered." Jimmy winked.

"Thanks."

"EEE-yuch!" Joey spitted out the bread and threwed it in Jimmy's face. "This is disgusting! I hate zucchini!"

Koki gasped.

"Well, let's go, sis. This dude here has nothin good at all to sell." He grabbed her arm and walked away.

"Man... what a jerk." Jimmy wiped his face.

* * *

Chris tapped his chin, thinking hard. "They want a show? I'll give them a show," he said smiling rather slyly as an idea came to his mind.

Meanwhile, Martin had an idea. "Maybe Mina's party need some... cheering up!" He snapped his fingers, and whistled the Wild Kratts theme song.

Bite-Size knew that when one of the Kratt bros whistled their team's theme song, they needed his help. "Sorry, Luna. Got a call, gotta go," the bat said.

"Don't worry, boy. I'm going to meet someone now. See ya later." The owl flew away, noticing Mother Nature's light signal.

Bite-Size met Martin in the saloon. He heard Martin's idea and squeaked, agreeing. Martin moved some musical aside and gave them some instruments in a chest.

"Come on, everybody! I know what you cheer all of you up!" Martin said on the mic. Bite-Size stopped in front of the mic, and the band started playing.

*E.G. Daily - Hong Kong Holiday*

While he sang, Chris succeded in calling the adventurers' attention with his amazing climbing skills. Nick grunted in fury.

Jimmy tried attracting some new customers, throwing some food to make them "step around" his booth. But no success. He had another idea, and moved his booth.

Aviva tried as much as she could see and hold those birds, but everything just made her angrier and louder. "GAAAAAH!" she yelled.

Koki felt her big brother pulling her with his arm, and running to the saloon. Once they entered, Jimmy entered with his booth. On the booth, there was a wonderful cake he had made to serve in Mina's B-day later. Joey bumped in the booth, and made the cake hit Koki's face. Bite-Size saw that, once he finished singing. Koki looked at Joey, furious: now she have had enough.

"YOU ARE THE MEANEST, JOEY!" she said poking at his chest hard. "To think that I wanted to see you again, since you left our home with Dad!"

"Yeah! No one, I repeat, NO ONE, treats my best friend this way!" Bite-Size scolded, furious.

"AAAGH! Get this monster away from me!" Joey freaked out.

"And you dare calling my friend a MONSTER?!" Koki shouted, shaking her hair and hitting Joey with cake. At this moment, Jimmy grabbed Joey by the arm.

"Saying my food sucks, and even spitting it on my face, I'm fine... but treating my friends as garbage... oh, now you made me mad!" he growled, unusually angry. Joey shouted, scared and ran away.

Koki couldn't believe what she saw. Jimmy defended her... and in a really brave way... She slowly walked up to him. "Um... th-thanks Jimmy." she studdered. Why was she studdering?

They were so close of each other. Koki felt something inside her... something she secretly felt for a long time, but she was waiting for the right moment to tell. Jimmy felt his legs trembling. He had never got so angry... neither so surprised...

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard. Animals invaded the temple, followed by a panting girl. She was too exhausted to follow them. "Come back here... you'll be... mine..." Aviva fainted.

Chris entered the place, surprised about the noise. Then, he saw it was his chance of showing his value. He grabbed a tambourine from the instruments chest and started playing.

The animals followed him back to the garden, and all the people around stared impressed.

Nick Baker grunted of fury, and threw his CAC medal on the floor. "You'll see, Chris Kratt... we will meet again..."

Chris felt happy to help, and received cheers from everyone around, especailly the Creature Adventurer Club. "I never saw such ability with creatures." Jean Michel Cousteau was amazed.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just lived with them since childhood," Chris said. "Of course, having your big brother by your side also helps." Martin smiled.

"But how?" Aviva asked. "They didn't even got close to me."

"Maybe it was your suit. Too much accesories, too much noise," Chris hinted.

Jean laughed while Aviva blushed a little. "Oh yeah..."

"Oh, there you are," Mother Nature said, not caring about the mess. "Mina and I were searching for you all night."

"Huh?!" the Wild Kratts asked.

"She waited a long time for her birthday. Your presence is needed."

"HUH?!"

"So... it's not... here?" Martin asked. Bite-Size blushed. Did he sang that song in vain?

"Luna said it would be in the Gala, but she never said it would happen during it. Follow me. And you all too." Mother Nature winked. The bros and everyone else looked at each other. They had no idea WHAT was going on or what Mother Nature had in mind.

* * *

They followed the lady to a fabulous part of the Garden that Aviva forgot to visit, in her pursuit for the animals.

"Now that you are all reunited here, I must tell why I decided to throw the Gala on this day." Mother Nature stood in front of them all. "Years ago, we defeated a very dangerous enemy, but in this victory... we lost one of our most valuable nymphs, and our previous Guardian. But Flora left something before dying, that I promised giving to her most trusted family member, in the right time. Not anymore this day and this gala marks the defeat of Eris, and the loss of Flora... but the birthday of her little sister, Wilhelmina, and the official presentation of our new Nature Guardians... the Wild Kratts!"

The Wild Kratts stood close to her, being applauded by all around. They were NOT expecting... something like this at all. The sea nymph that complained about Martin and the Gorgon felt bad about what happened, but Martin smiled at them, telling without words that it was all okay.

"This is... unexpected," Martin said. "And at the same way... AWESOME!" he cheered.

Suddenly, a powerful light came behind them. It was Mina! She was being carried by a cloud, and was holding a scepter.

"Nature Guardians... hold the scepter," Mother Nature ordered. They all joined hands holding it, and then it started glowing. The team felt a strange power enter them briefly. Once it stopped, the Wild Kratts saw themselves wearing robes, and each of them had the WK mark on their hand.

"This was unexpectedly awesome as well!" Chris said, agreeing with his brother and admiring his robe.

"This night, you are now officially nominated Nature Guardians, and Mina must keep the Gaia Scepter to use it in emergencies." Mother Nature smiled.

"Oh, Hermia... you and your secrets," Luna chuckled.

"Hermia?" Chris asked. The crew never heard Mother Nature's real name before.

"You know... that was just what I wanted," Mina said.

"Huh?" the Wild Kratts asked.

"After years of loneliness on my temple... I have a family again!" she said, with her eyes glowing. "You gave me a home, new adventures... and a chance of meeting new friends. I don't know how much I can thank you all for this." Tears of joy appeared on her blue eyes.

Chris and Martin smiled and ran to hug their little sis. The Tortuga gang joined them on the hug. After they separated, everyone around applauded the Nature Guardians and their protector.

"Well, this night may haven't been all we expected... but having your friends around..." Chris said.

"... and the best family ever by your side..." Martin added. "... can make a night like this..."

"Way beyond perfect!" the whole team said in unison.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a distant part of the temple, Nick Baker knelt in front of a statue, covered with plants. "I will show you where you can get the power you want soon... but are you willing to do this?" a whispery voice asked him.

"Yes... I am," he said, determined. Two glowing yellow eyes stared at him.


	15. Episode 16: Nightmare at the Tortuga

It was a calm night at the Tortuga. Once again in the forest, the Wild Kratts watched a movie on their screen. Mina came back from her walk around the forest with Luna.

"Guys! We saw Howler and his family again..." Mina stopped talking when she noticed her family was deep asleep.

"Really? Cool," Bite-Size, the only one still awake, said. "Looks like they didn't make it to the end of the movie." He observed all of the Wild Kratts asleep. The hybrid chuckled.

Mina yawned. "Well, I better get some sleep too. I'll tell them about my walk tomorrow."

"Okay. This bat here is starving. I'm gonna chase some bugs," Bite-Size said.

"Okay, then...good night, Bites.," Mina said. She levitated a huge blanket and covered all the team. Then, she laid down close to her brothers, grabbing her T-devil plush.

Bite-Size flew around the Tortuga. Suddenly, something passed by him, but he haven't noticed. It was a dark cloud, like the one the team saw in the Parasitics adventure. It surrounded all the team, forming some kind of cage.

* * *

 _Martin woke up on a very dark cave._

 _"Hello?" He asked. "Where am I? What's happening?"_

 _He saw Chris in front of him._

 _"Hey, Chris, what's going on? Where are we?" But Chris didn't answer him; he simply ran to the dephts of the cave._

 _"Chris, wait up!" Martin shouted, trying to call his attention. He saw a shadow coming in their direction._

 _"Chris, let's get outta here! That thing's-" Before he could finish his sentence, Chris turmed around, revealing his black pupils and white irises._

 _The shadow came in his direction, revealing huge tentacles that wrapped the Kratt in blue. Martin gasped and panicked._

* * *

 _Chris woke up holding a branch, in the edge of a waterfall. He gasped, wondering how he ended up there._

 _"No one can help you now," he heard a distorted voice._

 _A rope appeared, being held by Martin._

 _"Come on, bro!" he called. Chris climbed up, and Martin pulled him up, but as soon as Chris reached the top, the cliff under Martin gave in and he fell from there._

 _"NOOOOO!" Chris shouted in despair._

* * *

 _Aviva woke up on the African savannah. She looked around and saw the Tortuga, with its windows, walls and paws broken._

 _"No… no," she said, not believing what she's seeing. Once she entered the HQ, she saw terrified that all her work with the Wild Kratts was destroyed. "It can't be..."_

 _"But it is," a familiar voice was heard. Zach appeared, being carried by the Wild Kratts. Their eyes were red, and they seemed to wear mind-controlling helmets. "Who's the best inventor now, Ms. Smarty Pants?"_

 _Aviva just stared in shock as Zach laugh maniaclly._

* * *

 _Koki woke up slowly. "Huh? Where am I?"_

 _As she looked around, she recognize the huge grass around her, and looking up and seeing the giant Tortuga, she discovered she was miniturized._

 _"Guys, if you miniturized me, that's not funny!" she scolded._

 _Jimmy approached, but he didn't head her calls because of the headphones. Koki looked back and saw an aardvark approaching her._

 _She panicked and ran away, being followed by other termite predators and by termites as well._

* * *

 _Jimmy woke up, yawning. But as soon as he saw that room filled with wires, broken controllers and videogames, he started shivering._

 _"Uh… i-if you g-guys are trying to freak me out… i-it's not..." Jimmy was interrupted by a bunch of wires wrapping him firmly._

 _"We just wanna have fun with you, Jimmy Z… just wanna have fun..." A distorted, technologic voice was heard, making it enough for Jimmy to panic._

* * *

 _Mina woke up in her hammock, feeling something strange._

 _"Hmm… something's not right… it's too quiet around here..." she observed. Suddenly, she saw her T-devil plush on the floor and was going to grab it, until he looked up and pulled her down. Mina screamed._

* * *

Bite-Size returned to the Tortuga and saw the cloud cage surrouding everyone. They all were groaning and moaning in their sleep, even Mina. They all seemed terrified, tossing and turning.

"What the..." he exclaimed, flying in the cage's direction, but not succeding on reaching the others. "I'm gonna need some help."

Bite-Size used Luna's secret entrance to reach Mother Nature's temple. He showed her the Nature Guardians in the temple's fountain.

"Looks like we have a major sleep problem. But I know someone who can help us," Luna concluded.

* * *

Mina tried to escape from her room, but everything was locked and there were millions of plush dolls with evil stares approaching her.

"AAAGH! MARTIN! CHRIS! SOMEONE! HEEEEELP!" she screamed in despair. Looking up, she saw something… ripping up the ceiling? Bite-Size as a human and a giant Luna appeared. He extended his hand to her and they flew away from that place.

Mina looked back and saw that horrifying room had disappeared. The three were now floating in a purplish void with hundreds of seemed to be big, white cubes. She observed her "cube" vanishing.

"Bite-Size? Luna? What's going on around here? And where are we?" Mina asked, really confused.

"You're asleep, Mina. You and the rest of the team are in the Dream World," Bite-Size explained.

 _*flashback*_

 _"I saw you guys surrounded by a giant, dark cloud cage. Then, Luna and I talked with Morpheus, God of Dreams, and he made us sleep too, because that was the only way to reach you guys."_

 _*end of flashback*_

"Oh, Uncle Morpheus? I haven't saw him for a long time," Mina commented. "Anyway, I'm glad you guys are here."

"No problem, sweetie. But now we gotta find your siblings and get out of here," Luna pointed out.

They heard Martin's screams of panic coming from one of the cubes. Mina approached her ear of one of its wals and recognized Martin's yells.

"He's here!"

Luna ripped the top of it with her claws, and they saw Martin sobbing of panic, while being more and more squeezed by the shadow's tentacles.

"Martin! Listen to me!"

"Huh? Mina?" Martin looked up.

"This isn't real! That's not Chris!" Mina called his attention. "We're all asleep and in Dream World! We're here to save y-" She got interrupted by a shadow tentacle.

"MINA!" Martin called. Then, he saw something glowing on his pocket: his medallion! He put it on and send the shadows away with its light.

"Thanks, big bro," Mina said, being lifted up and embraced by him.

"Come on. Let's save the others. And quick, because I don't think we'll be asleep for long," Bite-Size commented.

* * *

*BG music: Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams*

Now knowing Bites and Luna had a very short time before they wake up, Martin and Mina flew around the Dreamworld, trying to find each member of the team quickly. Martin heard Chris's cries of despair from one of the cubes.

Mina and Martin had to push hard to bust through.

"Chris! Can you hear me?!" Martin called.

"Martin?" Chris looked up with a tear soaked face.

"I'm okay, Chris! It wasn't real! It was only a dream!" But then Martin gasped. "Chris, look out!" A shadow was coming at him. Thinking quick, the brunette held up his medallion, making the darkness retreat.

The blonde reached in quickly and pulled his brother out. Chris immediately embraced him in a tight hug. "I- *gasp* I actually thought you had-"

"I'm okay, bro. I'm okay." Martin stroked the back of his head to comfort him.

"Someone, please HELP!" they heard a scream from another cube. "POR FAVOR!" The five made their way over.

Luna ripped the cube's walls, and Aviva gasped in surprise to see them. "Come on!" Mina extended her hand to her big sister, and helped her get out of there.

"Koki! Don't worry, I'll get ya out of there!" Bite-Size, who was hearing his BFF's yells coming from another cube, punched the cube's walls, until he opened a hole in it, and grabbed Koki's hand.

"Wow... these things can't resist the weakest touch," he said, as he helped his friend get out of there. She breathed out heavily, calming down as Bite-Size embraced her.

"It depends on how scared the person trapped in it is," Luna explained, as Aviva breathes heavily, trying to calm down. "Like Chris's. It took Mina and Martin to get through. Ones like that means the person was experiencing their WORST fear."

"Chris's worst fear... is losing me?" Martin wondered, really touched.

"And apparently," she whispered so Chris didn't hear, "that nightmare wasn't the first time he experienced that fear."

"What?" He didn't remember ever even being near death. What could she be talking about?

"Almost done. Only one to go," Mina said. They heard Jimmy crying for help from another floating cube.

"Let's go!" Luna cheered, but she was stopped by the giant hand from a huge woman silhouette.

"I don't think so!" the silhouette had the same distorted voice Chris heard. "You cannot escape!" It beared its yellow eyes.

Luna soon started to fade. "Oh, no! I'm waking up!" She soon disappeared, waking up in Morpheus' temple. "Aw, great. Well, I hope he sleeps more than me."

* * *

Luckily, before Luna disappeared from Dream World, she landed with the team right where Jimmy was, and succeded in ripping a little bit of the cube's walls.

The team worked together to rip off the wall completely. Jimmy was almost choked by the wires.

"Jimmy! Listen!" Koki called. "This is only a dream! You gotta try waking up or imagine something els-"

The wires grabbed her and the Wild Kratts, and firmly squeezed them.

Jimmy felt it was worthy to try what Koki suggested, and his medallion answered his call, helping him to melt the wires around the team.

Each one of them took the opportunity to use their medallions as well, to help destroying that nightmare cube.

"Now, to the biggest of all these nightmares!" Chris said, pointing his glowing medallion to the giant shadow. The others followed his lead.

"No! No! NOOO!" the shadow yelled. "Light! IT BURNS!" It simply shrunk slowly, and faded from their sight, leaving them alone on Dream World.

"It's gone. And all our nightmares as well," Martin said, while they all laid on the floor.

"Yeah. I am afraid of lots of things, but the worst of my fears is losing you guys," Jimmy admitted.

"Nice job, guys," Bite-Size said. Martin was going to ask why the human look, but the bat boy answered him before he could say something. "Yeah, I miss being a human, despite what happened."

Everybody chuckled. Suddenly, they start fading from Dream World.

"Guys! I think we're waking up!" Chris said.

* * *

Chris was right. They woke up slowly in the Tortuga's main room, yawning. They of course didn't sleep so well.

"Wow. I had the weirdest dream ever," Aviva said.

"Same here," the others added on.

"That weird dream is only the beginning," Luna said, appearing with Bite-Size, who was almost fainting. They looked up to see the dark cloud running away from there. "I think it's not the last we've seen from that dark magic."

The others looked at each other, worried.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Mystical Garden, a statue with yellow glowing eyes observed the Nature Guardians through a dark magic mirror.

"You are right, silly owl," It said. "You haven't. Let's keep up the tests, until I gathered enough to set me free." She cacked evilly.

* * *

"I'm happy that nightmare is over. Guess I won't be watching horror flicks for a long time," Chris said.

"Agreed," Mina said. Then she heard Bite-Size's snores from the bat box. They sounded like little squeaks.

The crew chuckled. "Looks like our little hero fell asleep," Koki said, as she gently caressed his head. "Let him rest, guys. He deserves it."

The others agreed, tip-toeing to outside.

"Now, Mina, how was your night walk?" Martin asked.

"Oh, it was great!" Mina started telling what she wanted to tell yesterday, while the sun rose.


	16. Episode 17: Bravery in Blue

In the forest, the Wild Kratts were ready to get out exploring the wild.

"The forest... where I was born... and where I met you guys," Bite-Size pointed out.

"Yeah, I still remember the day we found you," Martin said.

"Yeah... you almost _ate_ him," Chris said with a chuckle and a nudge to his brother's shoulder.

Martin pouted. "Still..."

"Look! There's Gavin and Ronan! And Aidan too!" Mina pointed out, once she left the Tortuga with her brand-new pink swimming suit. "Hi, boys!"

The kids, who were playing close to the river, heard Mina's voice. "Hi, guys! What are you doing?"

"I was just getting ready to explore the water world," Mina answered.

"Wait a moment. There's someone Mina needs to meet," Aidan said, running away from the others. He came back, holding a little kid by the hand. He was smaller than Aidan and weared a gray t-shirt and shorts. "This is my little brother Nolan. I've been dying for you to meet him."

"Hey there, Nolan," Chris said, patting the little kid's head as he laughed. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Chris Kratt! My hero!" The little tyke's eyes glowed.

"Aww... you have a fan," Martin chuckled. Chris lifted Nolan up.

"I only hope I'm being a good big brother to him, like you are to Chris, Martin," Aidan said. Martin knelt down next to him.

"Hey, take it from another big brother. You're doing a great job," he said, putting a hand on the boy's small shoulder.

Up the river, a dark magic cloud started moving the water quickly, causing giant waves.

* * *

Mina swam around with Martin's help.

"That's it, Mina! You're doing well!" he cheered.

Aidan and Nolan were playing close to the river. Suddenly, Ronan saw something that shocked him.

"Uh... Martin, is it possible to create waves in rivers?"

"Not that Iremember."

"Th-then..." Ronan pointed to the large wave heading their way.

"Yikes! Everyone watch out!" Martin shouted, grabbing Mina. Chris ran and grabbed Nolan and took Aiden's hand and ran behind a rock. Martin did a quick head count.

"...two, three... wait... Gavin!?" Martin turned back at the river. "Gavin! Hurry!" he shouted, but the boy was swept away.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!" Gavin shouted desperately.

"Gavin!" Martin wasted no time in diving into the water after the boy who was trying to breath, but all he managed to do was swallow more water. Martin knew there was a waterfall ahead. He had to act fast.

He held his medallion, remembering a certain power during his Guardian training. After a little bit of concentration, he lift up a wave of his own and grabbed Gavin, who was almost drowning. After leaving the boy out of the river, he stopped the wave that was coming in place and sent all the water back. The dark magic cloud vanished immediately and the river started its normal rhythm again.

Martin knelt close to the river, breathing hard. "Phew... that was close. Gavin... are you okay?!" He quickly shook the boy's shoulder. "Gavin?! Can you hear me!?"

A sudden outburst of coughing told Martin that Gavin was (or would be) alright, as he tried to cough up water stuck in his throat and lungs.

Martin was relieved to see Gavin okay.

"What was that?" Chris asked. "It's unusual for rivers to have waves."

"And it's even more unusual to head straight to where we were," Mina thought. Suddenly, she felt a dark presence in the air. "I think we should investigate what caused this."

"I agree," Martin said, before looking back at Gavin who was shivering now. He picked up the boy and held him close, trying to keep him warm. "But I also think we better get Gavin back to the HQ first... he's freezing and soaked," he said, with a hint of pity in his voice.

"I'll stay too. He is my big brother," Ronan said, worrying about Gavin.

"Okay, we'll investigate about the river thing. If anything happens, we'll call you," Chris said, leaving with Aidan, Nolan and Mina.

Once they left, Martin called the Tortuga. "Guys, we have a emergency."

* * *

"Okay, so... where did the wave start?" Chris asked.

Mina shrugged. "Ronan said he turned around and saw it coming. He didn't really see it being made..."

Luna came flying. "Chris, Mina! I'm glad I found you! I just saw a dark magic cloud around, like that one you saw when you faced that wasp or that one that gave you guys nightmares."

"Really?" Mina asked. "That explain the dark presence i felt. You think you can show us where you saw it?"

Luna nodded. "Yeah! Follow me!" she said, flying off.

* * *

"Okay... so if that dark cloud was able to generate enough energy to move a wave of water then..." Aviva was cut off and Martin rushed in.

"Guys!"

The tech team gasped at seeing Gavin asleep and shivering in the man's arms.

"I've got Gavin... he's hurt! He got a little banged up in the wave, not to mention completely soaked and shocked," he said, seeing the look of sympathy and concern on his friend's faces.

Bite-Size flied close to him. "Geez, he seems terrible."

"Wow, he's boiling!" Koki felt Gavin's forehead. "Take off his jacket and put him in the hammock now!"

Martin quickly rushed over and put the boy in bed, and felt his head.

"Oh geez..."

"I'll get the thermometer," Koki said, running off.

Gavin barely opened his eyes to see the blue clad man looking at him in worry.

"Gavin... are you okay?" Ronan asked, holding his big brother's jacket.

"*cough* I don't think so... *cough*" Gavin said.

"Try not to move, boy. We'll take care of you," Martin said, earning a little smile from Gavin.

"Here, Martin..." Koki said, giving Martin a cold rag.

"Thanks Koki," he said, placing it on the child's head. He could almost hear a sizzle.

"I... *cough* I'm sorry I couldn't... get out of the way..." Gavin barely made out.

"There, there... it wasn't your fault." Martin rubbed Gavin's head. "It was unexpected, even for us."

Gavin gave a small smile before falling asleep.

"It must be like this," Ronan observed.

"What?" Martin asked.

"Having a father," he explained. Martin's eyes widened, then he thought for a moment. What have happened to their father?

* * *

Chris and Mina followed Luna to a beaver den. There, always with their babies, were Sticker and Timber.

"So... you saw the black energy coming from here?" Chris asked Luna.

"Yeah, I was flying around here, when I saw that dark cloud close to the beaver den.

*flashback*

 _"Suddenly, that cloud started moving twigs and branches. I had to do something or the den would be destroyed. I flew in that thing's direction, then it flew away, and dived into the water. Then, it disappeared."_

*end of flashback*

"Hmmm... I say we investigate inside the river," Chris said. "If only the swimming bro was with us..."

"Yeah... where's Martin, by the way?" Luna asked.

"He's taking care of Gavin... he kinda got swept away in the wave..." Chris said sadly.

* * *

While Gavin rested, Martin asked Ronan about that "having a father" thing.

"Daddy left mom when I was little. I don't remember much about him," Ronan admitted.

*flashback*

 _"But I do remember that Gavin told me one time that they were arguing... he thought it was his fault. He was pretty sad... and I don't like seeing my big brother that way."_

*end of flashback*

Martin looked down, but put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry. If you want... I can help you find your father."

Ronan looked up as excited as ever. "Really?!"

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try," he said.

"Yes! This is great!" Ronan jumped in the air in happiness. "Wait till I tell Gavin!" he said, walking back to his brother's hammock.

At that moment, Martin gripped his head as some painful memory came back. It was so fuzzy. He thought he saw... a woman. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She was a little faxed in his mind, but her voice wasn't. She was screaming at him unintelligible words. Who was she?

Soon, he saw the woman perfectly. She was panicking, like something terrible was happening.

 _"Please! Someone save my sons!" she yelled, with tears in her eyes._

Once Martin came back to his senses, he thought for a moment. He never saw a woman like that on his life. Who was she?

"Martin? are you okay?" Bite-Size asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure... sorry," Martin answered.

* * *

Chris came out from the underwater.

"Find anything CK?" Aviva asked.

"Nothing yet," Chris said.

"That's weird... there is no perfect crime. There must be some evidence..." Aviva stated.

Mina looked up. "Uh... does _that_ count as an evidence?" She pointed up. There was the cloud!

"Yup," Aviva said. The dark magic cloud flied away from them.

"Follow that cloud!" Luna shouted.

They followed the dark cloud.

"You're not getting away from us!"

"Aviva, no!" Chris grabbed the back of her jacket before she fell off the edge of a ravine.

"Phew. _Gracias_ ," Aviva thanked.

"It's heading to down the lake!" Mina saw the cloud flying away.

"But Gavin, Ronan and Martin are there!" Aidan remembered.

"We gotta get there, quick!" Chris said.

* * *

Gavin slowly opened his eyes, and saw Martin and Ronan smiling to him. He yawned, feeling a lot better.

"How ya feeling sport?" Martin asked, feeling the boy's forehead, seeing that it was a little cooler than before.

"Ah... little better," Gavin replied.

"I'm glad you're okay." Ronan climbed on the hammock to hug Gavin. "I was worried."

Martin tried to hide his tears. He wasn't only happy that Gacvin's okay... he couldn't stop thinking about their thing with their father. What kind of father leaves the mother like that, and leaves such a trauma to the youngest one?

This made him remember about how he felt sad when his father left with Christine and Susan, when they were young. But the problem was he couldn't remember why he left. It was like something was blocking the door to that memory.

That's when he remembered something else.

He remembered a... a baby's voice. He was crying.

Then... the memory continued. The... robots... he was running then... he couldn't remember. There was a gap. The next thing he knew he was in the HQ.

Wait... Chris filled him in. He said he found Martin passed out under a tree. But Martin's memory was fuzzy about anything before that... until now.

The robots... had GAVIN and the baby! He saved him... then told him to run to safety while he distracted the Zachbots! Then... HE saved the baby...

His thoughts were interrupted when the dark magic cloud invaded the HQ and grabbed Ronan.

"Help! Martin! Mom! Someone!" Ronan tried to get free, but it was useless.

Martin just kept remembering what had happened. It made his head hurt. Something wasn't right. How had he forgotten about those things?

Then, another memory came. A punch in his face. From a strange man. _"Don't get close to my girl!"_

 _"Stop! What's your problem?! He saved Gavin!" That woman again... this excluded any of his suspitions. The strange man slapped the woman's face. And after this, all Martin remembered was being in the HQ._

Martin snapped back at seeing the blackness starting to go for Gavin.

"Ahh!" Gavin screamed, before Martin blocked the black energy from reaching him.

"Get away... from my son!" he shouted.

Gavin was confused. Martin wasn't his father. What was he...

"Okay, I may not be his real father..." Martin said. "...but I'll act like one to him! Not like his real one, who left their mother alone!"

The dark cloud revealed a face. That strange man... there? With Ronan trapped?

"You stole my girl in the past, Martin Kratt... and now you wanna steal my sons?!" he said in a low and distorted voice.

"D-dad?" Gavin gasped.

"I never stole her from you. All I wanted was to help your family!" Martin tried to explain. "You chose using Zach's robots as your "bodyguards", but Zach hates kids!"

"Everything I did was to protect my sons!" the voice said.

"Really?! If so... you would've been looking out for them! Instead... you left them!" Martin shouted. "Now... let Ronan go..." he said with a furrowed brow of intense seriousness. Gavin had never seen him like that before.

Martin didn't know why, but he felt like something wanting to lash out at the cruel man. But he didn't pay much mind to it.

"NEVER!" The man's eyes glowed red, and he left the Tortuga with Ronan.

Martin ran after them. Gavin just observed what happened, along with Koki, Bite-Size and Jimmy.

"My own father... left mom?!" His eyes were teary after finding the truth: his father never loved him, neither Ronan and his mother.

* * *

Meanwhile, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes put a nest back in its tree, being helped by her friend, a brown-haired girl with glasses.

"Thanks Tania," said.

"No problem, Laura. Now, can you please let my shoulders rest?" Tania asked, sweating.

Laura giggled before jumping down.

"Thanks again for helping me," she said.

The dark cloud got close to her, making Tania step back.

"Hello, Laura." Laura gasped. That voice... she turned around.

"*gasp* Howard?"

"Mom! HELP!" Ronan yelled from the cloud.

"Ronan!" she gasped desperately. The cloud grabbed her. She yelled in terror. Martin heard that yell, and Chris quickly reached him, along with the rest of the gang.

"Martin, I'm glad we found you! The cloud's..." Chris looked up and saw it was too late to warn.

"Put her down... Howard!" Martin shouted.

"And let Ronan go too!" Chris chimed.

"You do realize... if you want the best for your sons... you'd stop scaring them... like you are now. And be there for them, instead of leaving them," Martin lectured.

"I wished for a family that respected their leader! And that's what I'll have!" Howard growled.

"But this isn't a family!" Laura said. "This is SLAVERY! And that's how you treated me, before Ronan was born..."

*flashback*

 _"You started complaining about us having another baby, and called Gavin a twerp!_

 _"After we took him to meet his heroes... the Brothers Kratt... you started feeling jealous for absolutely no reason. Then, after Ronan was born, you asked for some special "bodyguards" for our family... but all they did was steal my little ones!_

 _"I was glad Martin and Chris saved Gavin and Ronan, but you only allowed your jealousy to take control of your mind."_

*end of flashback*

"After days of discussion, you left me alone and i had to raise them by myself." Laura finished the story. Martin finally remembered everything that happened. The whole thing.

* * *

 _"Help! Please!" a young woman no older than Martin called desperately. Her face was soaked with tears. "Please! Someone save my sons!"_

 _"Ma'am, what happened?" Martin asked in high concern._

 _"Th-the robots took my little boys! Both of them!"_

 _"Robots?!" The woman began to sob on him when she held him in desperation._

 _"Please save them!"_

 _Martin smiled to her. "Don't worry, miss. I'll call the team, and we'll go after these robots."_

* * *

 _It didn't take long for Chris and Martin to find Gavin. He was sobbing hard while trapped and was being guarded by a Zachbot._

 _"A Zachbot! Should've known!" Chris growled._

'Why would someone hire Zachbots as bodyguards?' _Martin thought._

 _"STOP!" Martin bumped into the Zachbot, and freed the tyke, while the robot escaped. Gavin cried in relief in Martin's arms._

 _"Thank you thank you thank you!" the child cried._

 _"It's okay Gavin! But listen to me!" The kid looked up at his hero. "Run and find your mom! I'll distract the Zachbots!" Gavin gave him one more hug._

 _"You'll alway be my hero, Martin Kratt!" A small teary smile came on the adult's face as the child ran to safety. With a determined face, he stood up._

 _"Hey Zachbots! Looking for me?" That got their attention. Martin began to run. He was able to outrun them, until someone punched him in the face close to a tree. The man was blurry, but he held something in his arms. A baby. And it was crying._

 _"Don't get close to my girl!"_

 _"Stop! What's your problem?! He saved Gavin!" The strange man slapped the woman's face. And after this, Martin felt the world turning black._

* * *

"I LEFT YOU TO TURN THEM INTO REAL MEN, BUT THEY TURNED INTO SIMPLE MEDDLING KIDS!" Howard shouted. "I'm taking Ronan with me, to turn him into the son he was supposed to be!"

"I will not let you take him!" Martin shouted, grabbing his medallion.

Howard punched him again, but this time, a punch wouldn't be enough to knock Martin down. He was determinated to save Laura and Ronan.

"But this doesn't make sense! Why would Howard cause that wave?" Aviva asked.

"He didn't," Luna stated. "I passed through the cloud that time, and there wasn't anyone there!"

"So the cloud must have been attracted by Howard's "inner darkness"," Mina said. "I sense an aura full of anger and jealousy... and it's getting even more powerful because of the cloud!"

"How do we defeat a cloud?!" Chris asked.

"Well, that cloud is not made of water. It's made of dark energy!" Mina thought for a moment.

"That's it! If it's made of darkness, Hope's light will overthrow it!" Luna exclaimed.

Martin heard Luna and closed his eyes, thinking about the feeling he represented: Bravery. He thought about everything he was fighting for. Everything that gave him strenght to fight: animal safety... his friends... his family...

"Whats happening?!" Howard shouted at seeing a light beginning to form.

Blinded by that light, Howard let go of Ronan, Laura and Martin. Mina helped Ronan and Laura, floating them to safety.

Martin came down, surrounded by his medallion's blue light. His aura was visible to everyone.

 _"Guardians. Think about the feelings you represent... about everything you fight for... let's send this darkness away!"_ Hermia's voice was heard by the Guardians. They knew what to do.

They all held each other's hands, in a line. Soon, their good feelings and thoughts made their auras appear and glow intensely.

That powerful glow sent the dark cloud away, leaving a shirtless man behind. As soon as the glow disappeared, they all aproached Howard.

"Your envy was in your way. The rest was all because of that dark magic." Martin looked at the cloud, flying away from them.

"I wonder where they all come from..." Chris thought.

* * *

In the Mystical Garden, the statue with yellow eyes received its dark cloud.

"Defeated again... but that envy sure was good to absorb," she commented. "Too bad I couldn't keep it all for me... just a little more negativity... and I'll see these Wild Kratts myself!" She chuckled evilly.

* * *

Howard stood up, dizzy. Then, once he saw Martin offering his hand to make amends with him, he just grabbed his shirt.

"You may have sent my powers away... but I'll have the family I want!"

"Let him go, Howard!" Gavin threw his fishing line around his biological father, and wrapped him up, making him let go of Martin.

"Gavin! You little twerp you..." Howard shouted, before snatching Gavin.

"Let... let go of me!" Gavin said, trying to get free.

"Forget it boy! It's time someone taught you a lesson!"

Laura knocked him down with her frying pan.

"I knew this would be useful," she commented, while her ex-husband fell on the floor. Martin chuckled, while Gavin came to see how he was.

"Boy, am I feeling better! Are you okay, Martin?" Gavin asked.

"I'm perfectly fine. I'm just... glad you're alright," Martin said, hugging the boy tight.

"Thank you. Thank you very much!" Laura hugged Martin tightly. "I remember you... you saved my sons from those horrible robots... and saved me from a terrible future." She looked at the fainted Howard.

"I called the police," Jimmy warned.

"Good. Even though part of this was that dark cloud's fault, no man, not even a father, should act that way with his wife and kids," Martin said.

"After he left me, all I've been thinking was about you and your team. I simply forgot to thank you," Laura said, kissing Martin's cheek.

The Kratt in blue blushed. "It was nothing, really."

Koki looked at Aviva. "Ooh... _someone_ has a crush..." she whispered, making Aviva, Mina and Chris giggle.

Tania and her sons also were reunited. Chris just observed how happy they seemed.

* * *

Later, in the river, everybody was having fun: the kids swimmed and fished peacefully. Mina swam behind Martin.

"Very good, Sis! Keep up this way and you'll be a pro in no time!" he complimented.

"Chris, something wrong?" Aviva asked him.

"Hmmm... I'm just thinking about that cloud... where did it came from? And why's always trying to hurt us in any possible way?"

"Good point... who knows when it'll attack again..." Luna approached them.

"Well, at least we know its weakness now. And we'll be ready to face it next time," Chris said. Mina swam in their direction.

"Guys... look." Mina pointed to the other side of the river, where Martin was.

Martin and the boys were fishing together, and Laura was observing them.

"You know... something tells me that Martin found something else to fight for." Chris smiled.

"You couldn't be more right," Mina agreed.


	17. Episode 18: Baker Vs Kratt

"C'mon Chris! You can do it!" Martin cheered.

"Uh... is this such a good idea?" Aviva asked.

Chris was going to try and grow a vine into the HQ and see if he could make it grab Aviva's toolbox and bring it to her.

"Okay. Clear your mind..." Chris said to himself. He concentrated and succesfully grabbed Aviva's toolbox.

" _Incrible_!" Aviva said, surprised. Suddenly, Luna appeared.

"Guardians!"

Chris lost his concentration and the toolbox hit his head. "Ow!"

"Oops! Sorry. Hermia wants to see you all."

* * *

"A thief?" the Wild Kratts asked. They were all reunited around the Mystical Garden's fountain.

"Someone has stolen a necklace from Hephaestus's factory on Mount Olympus, yes," Hermia explained.

"Wow... looks like this necklace is powerful." Mina saw an image of the necklace reflected on the fountain.

"It is. Hephaestus was building this necklace for Zeus, so he could give it to Hera. They're going to be welcomed, after a long trip around the planet," Mother Nature explained. "It is also the reason why I asked you all to be part of the entertainment. The Nature Guardians have always been tested by the Olympian gods, in order to receive their protection. And Zeus and Hera would want to see your abilities."

"But... what about the necklace? Do you know who took it?" Chris asked.

"Somehow, he had enough power to prevent the Olmypus' guards of seeing him coming."

Suddenly, Bite-Size entered, desperated.

"Guys! Emergency! We need you!"

* * *

In the park, someone zapped Donita Donata, making her wear an yellow dress.

"Yellow! I can't STAND yellow! Ah!" She fainted, having Dabio catch her.

"Quick!" Zach said, "We need to get in something pink, stat! I can't stand yellow either!"

"What's going on?" Chris asked, once he and the crew got there.

"Well, well, well... hello again..." A cloaked person uncovered his head. "...Chris Bratt!"

"Nick Baker?!" Chris asked, surprised. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since the gala..." Chris furrowed his brow.

"My powers are amazing, aren't they?"

"You call THAT amazing?" Koki asked.

Nick's eyes glowed gray. He zapped Koki, making her hair cover all her head.

"Hey! What the..." She started tripping on things, not able to see what was going on.

Gourmand and Zach laughed out loud. "That was a good one," Zach said.

"Nice job, boy!" Gourmand said

Koki growled.

"Stop it, Nick!" Chris growled.

"Oh, may I need to remind you... I have gotten a little more... say... powerful since the last time we saw each other. And I'm going to prove it. You and me. A Nature Duel. Winner stays. Loser must give up his charm and leave forever!" Nick explained with an evil laugh.

"Forget it! I would never accept a challenge like that," Chris said, turning his back on Nick.

"Suit yourself." Nick grabbed Martin. He trapped the Kratt in blue in a forcefield, making him bounce like a ball.

Zach and Gourmand laughed as they saw their enemies suffering under Nicks hands. Nick turned against them and zapped them too.

"Hey, what was that?" Zach asked. Then, he saw his back was glued on Gourmand's back.

"Get off of me!"

The two tumbled as they tried to go their separate ways.

"Why are you doing this?!" Chris asked.

"Why?! Because of you!" Nick shouted. He used his magic to bring out an image.

"After you calmed down those animals at the Gala… you received all the attention from the Creature Adventurer Club. They ignored me, the most trusted member, because of a newbie like you! Soon, no one seemed to know the amazing Nick Baker anymore. I even had to work at a bakery just to earn a living! A bakery!"

"Hey! You're lucky a bakery would take the likes of you!" Jimmy commented.

Nick rolled his eyes and used his magic to put Jimmy's mouth in a trash can. Jimmy covered his face with his hands where his mouth once was.

"Stop picking on my friends, Nick!" Chris warned.

"Why should I? I'm more powerful than you, right? And until you accept my duel, I'll just keep reeking havoc."

Baker turned the Tortuga upside down and started shaking it.

" _Mi Tortuga_!" Aviva shouted, desperate.

Then, he turned a little bunny into a giant bunny that started chasing Mina.

"So... what do you think, boy?" Nick asked Chris. The Kratt in green turned around. He saw his friends suffering ans saw he couldn't just stand there doing nothing.

He sighed.

"Alright, Nick... you're on," he growled. Baker smirked.

"Perfect." His eyes glowed gray again and he undid all of his spells, expect for Jimmy's missing mouth.

Nick and Chris faced each other. Nick started sending a small cloud of mosquitoes. Chris thought for an instant and had an idea. He made two brown bats appeared, and they chased the mosquitoes around, eating all of them quickly.

Next thing he knew a blanket of snow fell on his head, but he brushed it off with vines. Then it was his turn to draw.

"Ha!" Chris zapped Nick, putting lots of girl make-up on him. The whole crew laughed, even Jimmy, without his mouth.

Nick growled and made a rage appear, wiping off all the make up.

"You two! Here now!" Nick shouted, calling Gourmand and Zach. They came, gulping.

He zapped them, turning them into animals: Zach became a black cat and Gourmand, a pig.

"Animal Transformation?" Luna stared in shock. "But not even the previous Guardian could do this!"

Nick looked at his fingernails, proud with himself.

"Well... Chris Bratt, give up?"

Chris growled.

He tried with all his might undo the spell, but soon, it became too much for him, and he knelt in weakness. Gourmand and Zach remained the same.

Nick laughed evilly. "I WON! I WON! And this means you'll have to leave..." He started approaching of the Kratt in green, untill the Kratt in blue stood in front of him.

"That's ENOUGH, Nick! You can't possibly expect... Chris to leave..." Martin shouted, his eyes welling up.

"No need to wait. He's already leaving!" Nick pulled Chris's necklace off with his powers and threw him away. The crew ran to see how Chris was. Nick put the whole place around a glass dome. Chris ran to meet the crew, until they were trapped inside the dome.

"NOOOOO!" Martin punched the dome, not believing that was happening. His brother put a hand on the glass.

"It's alright guys," Chris said, calmly. "I'll find a way to fix this. Just... stay together. Martin, protect them and Mina until I get back, oh! And keep an eye on Nick... there's something strange about him." With that, Chris ran off into the forest.

"Chris..." Martin's voice cracked as he banged his head on the glass as a tears fell from his face.

Aviva put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

* * *

Chris meditated on the forest. He thought about what happened back there with Nick Baker. There was something wrong... but what?

"You seems confused." A woman approached him. She weared a white dress, a golden soldier helmet and held a golden scepter. "What happened, Earth Guardian Christopher?"

"You know who I am?" Chris asked.

"Of course I do. I am Athena, goddess of wisdom," the woman answered.

"I'm honored to meet you. Still, I'm worried about my friends back home. An old enemy returned... and I couldn't defeat him. Now... he has my family... my friends... and even my home..." A tear of worry fell from Chris's eyes. Athena wiped it, trying to comfort him. "I want to help them, but... my meditations and traning aren't good enough." Chris sighed.

"Christopher, I will help you find the strenght you need to return." Athena held his hand.

Chris smiled. Being helped by the goddess of wisdom... what an honor...

 _'He DOES look like him...'_ the goddess thought, full of hope. _'Hermia was right. I'm so glad it worked...'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Nick started controlling everything on the Tortuga, and forcing everyone to do what he wanted.

"This is the most disgusting vest i've ever made!" Donita complained.

"Quiet, slave!" Nick shouted. "Keep working. I want everything to look perfect for me. And you, where is my food?"

Jimmy, still without his mouth, brought a plate full of sweets and sandwiches. "That's more like it."

Martin kept staring at the window, with a sad look on his eyes and sighing.

"Hey! Blue Guy!" Nick shouted. Martin looked back with dull, saddened eyes. "How long am I supposed to wait for that creature round up?"

A sudden burst of anger ripped through Martin.

"Forget it, Nick!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the window sill. "I'm not doing a THING until you let my little brother come home!"

Nick stared at him, furious. Then, he wrapped Martin up with vines, sqeezing him as a phyton.

"Martin!" Aviva called, but she couldn't do anything.

"Put him down Nick!" Koki shouted.

Jimmy mumbled/screamed something else in protest for Martin too.

Mina cut the main vine with her teeth, just like Chris with the ropes in the Platypus Cafe adventure. Martin fell on the floor, breathing hard.

"We're with Martin!" Aviva said. " _Adios_!" She and all the crew left, leaving Nick alone with Donita, Gourmand and Zach.

"Hmph! Big deal. I have my own personal slaves. I don't need these wild rats!" Nick said.

"You said it, mister!" Zach complimented.

"QUIET!" Zach gulped in fright.

"Yes, sir..."

* * *

In the forest, Chris concentrated on levitating as he stood on the surface of a pool.

Athena instructed him, patiently. "This is the key to concentration. No noise, no rush, no stress."

Chris's eyebrows furrowed as his mind suddenly remembered Nick's harsh words and doings, breaking his concentration, and thus, making him fall into the pool, only to come back to the surface with his bangs flopped in his face.

"You have a pretty uneasy mind. Let us try again, shall we?" Athena patted Chris's shoulder.

Chris sighed.

Athena chuckled in her head. _'Just like when HE tried it the first time...'_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the park, the crew reunited with some of Chris's books, many of them borrowed from a close library.

"Ugh! Not in this book either!" Aviva groaned, throwing across the way.

"We have to keep trying! Chris needs us to!" Koki said. Jimmy 'attempted' to say something too... but it couldn't be understood.

"I hear you, Jimmy..." Martin said with a sad sigh. "I can't find anything about the kind of stuff Nick's doing."

Suddenly, a message from Mother Nature fell on Jimmy's head. He tried warning the others, but only Bite-Size noticed. He squeaked in the voice amplifier, calling the others' attention.

"Jimmy received a message from Mother Nature," he said, once the others looked at him.

In the message, there was a sketch of Hephaestus's stolen medallion, drawed by Hephaestus itself.

"Here, let me see that..." Martin said, grabbing the paper. "It's... it's what Nick was wearing!"

The others gasped.

"Ugh!" Martin threw the paper in the air as he threw his arms out. "Why didn't I notice it before?! That weird charm that Nick was wearing around his neck! It's Zachbot Chris all over again! Why didn't I notice it before!?"

"Calm down, Martin. We're as surprised as you," Mina calmed her big brother down. It was really unusual of him to get that mad.

"It says here that in the wrong hands, all the power contained inside would corrupt the owner in the most horrible way," Koki read the message.

"Oh great!" Martin slapped his forehead.

"And that's not all... the charm has a magical lock. Only the person wearing it can take it off!"

"We need to warn Chris! He's the only one who can stop Nick! We need him back _ahora_!" Aviva said.

"But the only way to escape is convincing Nick to lift up the glass dome," Mina said. "But who? And how?"

"I'll go. I have a plan..." Martin said, serious as never.

* * *

Nick approached the glass dome, being carried by Zach and Gourmand. "I only hope it's important. I am very busy."

Two beavers were trying to pass with a log. It was Sticker and Timber, with their little ones Twig and Buddy. Nick sighed, and lift the dome, letting the beavers go.

Once the dome closed, Martin and Mina, with raccoon powers, got out of the log.

"Thanks, guys." Martin caressed Sticker.

"No problem. It's the least we could do after you guys helped with the den," Sticker answered.

"C'mon, Mina... we need to find Chris," Martin said, putting his hand on his little sister's shoulder.

"I think I know how. Recently, Mom taught me how to use my flower to find the Guardians. Even without your medallions, the marks left on your hands when you held the scepter will answer."

Mina touched the flower on her dress and concentrated. Soon, she felt Chris's presence and knew where to go.

"Let's go that way!" Mina pointed to the dephts of the forest.

* * *

Soon they were all reunited. After a few hugs between the siblings, Martin explained to Chris about Nick, even the confirmation of him as the thief they were searching for.

"So that's why Nick could do all those things..." Chris said, now understanding.

"And the more he uses the it, the more it will only corrupt him," Martin said.

"But how can i face him? My powers aren't strong enough," Chris lamented.

"Christopher... remember the wise words of a genius in the human world: We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Use the Fifth Element in this case."

"The fifth element... fifth! That's it! Athena, you're a genius!" Chris said.

 _'_ He _said the same thing when he started learning under me,'_ Athena thought.

"Tell me something I don't know." Athena winked, making Mina chuckle.

"Now to get you back into the Tortuga, Martin," Chris said.

* * *

"What is it now?" Nick asked, upset. Zach and Gourmand were flinching in pain.

"I swear! If this is another false alarm, I am gonna..." He trailed off at seeing the last person he thought he'd see.

"You!" He walked up to the glass dome.

"What's the matter, Chris Bratt? Not enjoying your exile?" he asked, evilly laughing.

"I know about your medallion, Nick! I know you stole it from Hephaestus's factory, and that you cheated!" Chris said.

"Who? Me?" Nick asked, acting innocent.

"Yeah. And I thought you'd like to see what a REAL medallion looks like," Chris said, holding a golden gem on a string. "Athena gave it to me."

"Ha! No medallion is more powerful as mine! No one is as powerful as me!" Nick's eyes glowed gray again.

"Put your medallion in your mouth!" Chris joked. "How about another duel?"

"Why should I?" Nick asked. "I already defeated you."

"Okay..." Chris said, trying to taunt. "But I guess you'll never EVER know the meaning of true creature power... C'mon Athena."

"Hold it!" Nick halted Chris. He zapped the dome, making it disappear. "Okay, let's do it. A second duel." He faced Chris, who stared back at him, confident.

* * *

The place was full of dark clouds. Everyone was reunited in the park to see the adventurers fight. Between them, only the fountain.

"Let's start with a little creature spell, shall we?" Nick said.

"Let's," Chris replied, prepared to fight.

"Varmitech! Gourmand! Here!" Nick ordered. Zach and Gourmand obeyed, fearing for what he would do. Nick zapped them, turning them into a cat and a pig again.

"Hmm... Aviva, Koki?" Chris called. The girls approached the fountain and Chris zapped them, turning Aviva into a honey guide and Koki into a bat.

Nick stared, surprised. "Oh, well... so you CAN do a creature spell. Whatever."

Chris zapped them again and they switched back, but then he turned Aviva into a polar bear, and Koki into a lion, then Aviva a monkey, then Koki a bluebird.

"What?" Nick stared in shock. Chris pointed at Luna and zapped her, making another owl like her appear.

"Wow."

"How... what?" Nick kept asking.

"Duplication spell. Ever seen a Kratt with lots of creatures?" Chris pointed at Martin. He zapped him, making him hold lots of creatures, like in The Blue and the Gray time.

"That's... that's not possible!"

"Oh, one more. I can turn an animal into a human!" Twig and Buddy stared in shock. He zapped them, turning them into two children: a boy and a girl.

"O-... kay...?" they said, being zapped again into two baby beavers. Both shook their heads to get rid of the dizziness.

Nick stared open mouthed.

"Well, Nick, I guess that makes me the most power creature ad-" Chris was cut off as he felt the gem being snapped off of him. "Hey! Give it back, Nick!"

He laughed evilly. "With this medallion, I shall now rule the planet! Bow to the powerful Nick Baker!" He took off Hephaestus's medallion and put Athena's gem on his neck.

Koki grabbed Hephaestus's medallion and ran.

Nick tried zapping her, but only a small spark came from it, and hit Koki. She fell on the floor, laughing.

"S-stop it! It tickles!"

"Tickles?! That was supposed to make you scream in agony! This medallion is defective!" He attempted to blast Koki again, but she moved. "Give mine back!"

"Sorry, this is going back to Hephaestus's factory," Koki answered.

"And this medallion... it's actually a low-power necklace from one of Athena's apprentices," Chris said, taking the medallion back. Athena came over and handed him his rightful medallion.

"B-But... how did you do those spells? No one can do them..."

"You're right... not even me," Chris said.

"When I got exiled, Athena helped me see that even though my powers are amazing, they're not what Ireally needed to defeat you. The element I needed was my hope... and faith in my friends and team."

The team soon revealed their tricks: the animals appeared with Aviva and Koki, Jenny and Tommy appeared holding Twig and Buddy, and Luna appeared with the other owl.

"Plus, I also knew that the only one that could remove the medallion was you."

"But... what about Blue Guy holding all those animals?"

"That wasn't my powers, that was just Martin being Martin." Chris chuckled.

"Help!" Martin yelped as the 'leaning tower of creatures' came tumbling to the ground.

He tripped on Sticker, falling on the floor. Everyone laughed, even Martin, who got up to hug his little brother, being followed by the team, while Nich Baker secretly retired.

What they didn't knew is that a certain statue was spying on them, through an dark energy mirror.

"Hmm... these Guardians are smart... but we'll see soon how strong they really are soon..." The statue's glowing yellow eyes beared.

"Now if only this ability wasn't so blurry so I can see their faces..."

* * *

Later, in Mother Nature's temple, Hera finally received her medallion from Hephaestus himself, while Chris entertained the gods, goddesses, nymphs and mystical creatures around there.

Soon, they all got surprised by millions of fireworks in the end of Chris's act. Even the Wild Kratts got surprised. Martin climbed up the stage and he and Chris saw Nick.

"Nick?" Chris saw that Nick was the one who brought the fireworks.

"It was the least I could do," Nick said. "I treated you, your brother, and your team so horribly when I wore that thing. I just... couldn't control myself. Think you guys can ever forgive me?"

Martin and Chris looked at each other. "Hmm... sure," they both said.

"I'm glad. Don't you think Nick Baker apologizing is the most rare thing you've ever saw?"

Martin and Chris rolled their eyes and shook their heads, while Nick Baker left through a portal.

"Anyone hungry?" Mina asked, showing a table full of yummy food. Chris felt a hand shaking his arm. Jimmy complained, still without his mouth.

"Oops! Sorry." Chris zapped Jimmy's mouth back.

"Finally! After a whole day not eating anything!" Jimmy ran to the table, while Martin, Mina and Chris laughed.

Athena watched them. A tear silently slid down her face. "They ARE back. If only the _sixth_ in their circle of friends were with them." She stared specifically at Chris. "Looks like your love for him came through. I'm proud of you... my _former_ student."


	18. Episode 19: The Bravest Warrior

It was a quiet night in the forest. Suddenly, a portal opened and the silhouette of a long-haired girl came out of it.

"He must be here somewhere." She pulled out a crystal ball from her belt. The image of Chris appeared on it. "Chris Kratt, current Earth Guardian...we'll see soon who's the best of us..."

* * *

At the Tortuga, Chris was meditating, very focused, while Martin and Jimmy watched a horror flick.

The two of them panicked once the movie villain entered with his axe. Chris tried to keep his focus, but ultimately lost concentration due to their screams.

"Guys!" he yelled in frustration.

"Hey! Who took me out of my torpor?" Bite-Size complained, looking at the team from his bat box.

"Sorry, guys," Martin apologized.

"I can't meditate with you guys screaming like girls!" Chris said. "Speaking of girls, where are they?"

"They were already supposed to return with the movie. And quick, cause I'm tired of these horror flicks," Martin said.

"So am I! A brown bat can't even take a nap with all that screaming," Bite-Size complained.

"Wait no more, guys!" Aviva entered with Koki and Mina. "Sorry we were late. The line at the video store was HUGE. Plus, we needed to grab more snacks for the movie night."

"Okay… so which film did you pick?" Chris asked.

"Just the classics of all classics! A film so great they remade millions of times. And this is the original!" Koki talked excitedly, accidentally throwing the videotape away. Chris retrieved before it fell on the floor.

"Let the movie night begin!" Once the film started, Jimmy recognized it.

"Rio Gato? Oh my gosh, best western ever!" he said excitedly.

"Yeah! Isn't great how that new kid challenges the old sheriff?" Koki said.

"Just for the kid to make a name for himself? And isn't it awesome how..."

"Can we please just watch the movie?" Bite-Size asked, flying to Koki's hair.

"Sorry." Koki and Jimmy blushed.

* * *

"After I end you, old man, they'll know my name in every territorian west in the Mississippi! Now draw!" the young cowboy talked in the movie, while Martin bit his fingernails.

"Look, kid… having people knowing your name isn't important. Fame and glory aren't worth fighting for." Chris thought about the sheriff's sentence. Somehow he felt it would be important to remember this.

"Enough talking! I said draw!" the young cowboy shouted, picking up his gun. "One… two… three!"

A gunshot was heard, surprising everyone. The young cowboy fell on the floor, while the sheriff shook his head and left.

"Did I tell ya or did I tell ya?" Koki said, once the movie ended.

"They don't make movies like this anymore," Chris stated. Then he looked at his big brother. "Are you crying?"

"No, I'm not!" Martin said, adjusting his hat. "Partner, that's what I call a classic western!" He said in a country accent.

Suddenly, they heard a window-breaking sound, then the lights turned off. Jimmy panicked throwing up his popcorn.

"Hey, what was that?" Koki asked. "Who turned out the lights?" She grabbed her medallion, and gave a little light on the situation.

"Oh my..." She saw an arrow where the light button was. "Who threw that?" She asked. They all looked up to see a silhouette on the window for a few seconds before it ran away.

"Is that a girl?" Martin asked.

"Let's find out," Chris said.

"Just in time for my night flight," Bite-Size stated.

* * *

The team went to the forest, but did not find the silhouette anywhere… until an arrow was thrown on Chris's direction, making him duck quickly. The arrow carried a message once they took a better look.

"In name of Artemis, goddess of hunt and wild creatures, I challenge the Earth Guardian to face me in combat," Chris read the message.

"Exactly," The silhouette showed itself as a young woman with brown hair and a green dress. "For fame and glory, I shall defeat you and receive Artemis' protection, as one of her most loyal apprentices."

"Hey! You mess with him, you mess with all of us!" Martin said, going in protective big-brother mode.

"Wait!" Mother Nature appeared, followed by Luna. "Sorry I'm late." She looked at the Guardians.

"Huh?" Martin asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later," she said. "Remind them of the rules first."

"If the Earth Guardian loses, his powers will be removed. If he refuses to fight, the others' powers will be removed," the challenger explained.

"I have no choice," Chris thought. "I accept the challenge."

"We're going to Africa," The girl said.

She called for an animal messenger: a woodpecker.

"I demand a complete observation," Mother Nature said.

"Granted," the messenger said.

"Observe all you want, Hermia… it will not change the final result," the girl said, while they were all teleported to Africa.

* * *

When everyone arrived, the girl makes some movements with her hands, making a stadium of sand around everyone.

"Let us start with archery," the girl said. Bows and arrows were given to both of them. "The one able to break its opponent's bow wins."

Suddenly, a cheetah passed by them. It was Blur. The young woman aimed with her bow and arrow, but when she threw her arrow, Chris threw another one, destroying his opponent's arrow and preventing the cheetah of being wounded.

"What were you thinking?" Chris spoke, irritated. "You could have hurt someone innocent."

Ignoring his speech, the woman threw some arrows quickly. With each arrow she threw, Chris countered. He only missed one, which then scraped against his cheek. Then, getting down lower and keeping focus on the target, Chris let loose his last arrow.

It hit its mark and broke the bow of the opponent.

"First challenge won by Chris Kratt," the messenger said. All concluded. His team cheered. Chris rubbed his cheek: he hadn't been cut too deep, but it was still hurting a bit. The crew came up congratulating him.

"Don't celebrate yet," Hermia told them. "That was just the first challenge."

"You now decide the challenge, Earth Guardian," the apprentice stated.

"Okay. I don't want to do something that endangers the life of any friends, animal or human. I suggest following the same rules. So let's have a Creature Challenge." Chris showed his Creature Power Suit to the opponent.

"Hmm... interesting. I have seen you there long enough to know how this suit of yours work," the woman spoke.

"So you know what I'm going to propose to you. Prey against predator. In any habitat. The best wins," Chris said, handing her Aviva's CPS.

"My Power Suit?" Aviva said. "Let's hope everything will be fine."

"Okay, and which habitat do you want to use them?"

"Right here in Savannah.," Chris said showing several of their albums.

"I'll search for lions, and crush you with the might of the king of beasts," she said

"Alright, I'll go after cheetahs then," Chris said. He gave her the lion disk and left the rest with Aviva. The two ran in opposite directions, each seeking out their selected creature.

"I only hope they don't take long to find them. I'm running out of popcorn," Jimmy said.

Chris was lucky, managing to find Blur and Spot Swat. He activates his Cheetah suit and started running back to the stadium. But the girl was still looking for a sign of a lion until something pulled her hair down. It was a playful lion cub. She activated her CPS and scared the cub.

They returned to the small stage, Chris using his super speed and arrived first. The woman got tired from running.

"You tired? We're just getting started," said Chris.

"I am the apprentice of Artemis, she taught me to be strong and overcome! Every minute she makes me strong!" she said nervously.

"I learned to be strong with my family and friends, and I have moments where I need their help. I'm not strong every minute I have moments of fun, but that does not stop me!" said Chris.

"I will not be defeated!" She sent a tornado of leaves at Chris and the rest of the disks of animal power. "Come find me if you can," She teleported away.

"Thief!" Martin said. "That has to be against the rules."

"Good point," The messenger said.

"Hermia, you have to do something!" Aviva said nervously.

"Things like that are considered at the end of the challenge, not during," Mother Nature said. "And the challenge is just beginning ..."

All sought the girl, but found no signs of her.

"Where did she go?" Jimmy asked.

"She could have gone back to the forest," said Koki.

"True, it is about Chris," Martin said. They used the teleportation power in their medallions and go to the forest. The stadium collapsed as soon as they departed.

* * *

Back in the forest, Chris watched everything around him. A silhouette approached him. His rival attacked him, using the Wolf suit.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Chris spoke.

"Do what you can to win." she replied nonchalantly.

Chris saw a Peregrine Falcon and whistled to call the bird down. Once it landed on his gloved arm, he activated his Falcon Powers and took off. He stooped and nearly got her with his claws.

"You want to play birdie, huh? I accept the challenge!" the girl said, grabbing a falcon feather and activating her suit.

The race became more arduous. The two fought in the air.

Chris pushed her claws straight down into the trees, trapping her in the branches and could not get out. A squirrel jumped onto the button, deactivating it.

"Killjoy," she complained. Forgetting the rule about animals, she moved and dropped the squirrel. Then she bit the branches and freed herself before reactivating her suit.

Chris passed her, flying up. The girl followed, claws ready to attack and flew up. When Chris saw the now-injured squirrel, he stooped down quickly, avoiding the woman's talons. The brunette carefully touched the injured creature and activated his Squirrel suit. Carefully picking the squirrel up, he left the scene.

"The second challenge goes to the challenger," the messenger announced. The apprentice watched.

"Competition in the trees, huh?" The woman off her costume and saw a blue jay.

* * *

"There you go." Chris helped the squirrel, which was a female, back to her hole in the tree, close to her cubs. The team watched everything with the help of the messenger, who had created a screen.

"No matter if it is challenged or not... he never fails to help an animal in need," Martin said.

"And now we have this challenge in the trees?" asked the woman, feeling confident.

"Okay," Chris agreed.

"This will be the last challenge because this will be the tiebreaker," the messenger said. "The challenge is only valid in the trees and the one to fall will lose."

"Right. Then the best man win," Chris spoke.

"And that is... me!" the girl said, pushing Chris, who lost his balance but did not fall. At this point, the girl had activated her blue jay suit. He pushed the girl in his Squirrel suit, but she flew.

"Oh, you thought you could fool me? You should know that I always win!" she stated.

"You said that three times," said Chris.

The woman shook the branch. It started breaking, but Chris had a cat agility and leaped to another. Chris then spotted a nest at the tip of the branch.

"Oh, no!"

The ruthless woman broke the branch and the nest fell. Chris quickly came down and saved the eggs, then quickly jumping to another tree.

He picked up some twigs and leaves, making a nest quickly on a stronger branch placed the eggs in it. The girl followed Chris as he hopped from tree to tree

"I think Artemis would not like to see her pupil apply to cheating like that!"

"I'm doing what she said, doing what I can to win!"

Chris went to a lower,weak branch. The girl tries to attack, but she hits her wing on a branch and cannot fly. She fell to the ground, deactivating her suit.

"The challenger has lost. Chris Kratt is the winner and keeps his powers," the messenger spoke.

"Hooray!" the team celebrated.

"No! Impossible! I can not lose! I can not!" the girl panicked.

"Sorry, miss... but I must admit it was a good battle." Chris smiled. The team ran to greet him, hug him and celebrate.

"My son... I'm so proud of you..." Mother Nature embraced her beloved Guardian of Earth, to be followed by all.

The girl took to conjure a hurricane of leaves and sent them towards Chris. But her plan was foiled by a doe that suddenly appeared. The doe stopped the tornado and took the form of a woman in yellow clothes and brown hair.

"Artemis ..." the messenger said.

"Alice... you disappoint your master. Instead of accepting your defeat as a good player, you chose your fame," she spoke sternly.

"Artemis, I didn't mean to..." Alice stammered.

"Come on. We'll talk about this later. Congratulations on your victory, Christopher Kratt. You showed honor and loyalty throughout the whole thing," Artemis complimented the Earth Guardian.

"Thank you," the Earth Guardian replied.

"Sorry Hermia, this will not happen again," Artemis apologized.

"Since no one was seriously hurt, all is forgiven," said Mother Nature. Alice and Artemis went away in a swirl of wind.

Suddenly, a small tornado with a green light hit Chris's medallion, which was in his pocket. Upon landing in the hands of its owner, the jewel became a white bow made of pine. It was decorated with gold vine shaped accents. When Chris pulled the bowstring, an arrow of green light appeared. When he threw it at a dead tree, it flourished. The Wild Kratts stood in amazement.

"Now you know why Alice challenged you. She wanted to be entitled to that power by Artemis. But Artemis kept it in store for one who truly deserves it," Hermia explained, smiling. "With this day of events, you gained the protection of Artemis, goddess of hunting and wildlife."

Everyone celebrated the victory of the Kratt in green, while Chris watched his bow turn back into his medallion. He smiled, thinking about Artemis's words.


	19. Episode 20: To Catch a Shadow

"Martin! Chris!" Mina called in worry as she wandered through the thick jungle. "Aviva! Grabsy! Anybody!" Nothing replied. "Ooooh, why did that harpy eagle have to carry me off?"

Sitting on a rock to rest, Mina remembered of how she ended up in that situation.

* * *

 _The Tortuga landed in the Central American forest._

 _"Nothing like a normal Creature Adventure," Martin commented._

 _"You said it, bro. Not that the previous adventures weren't good, but we really need some normal life sometimes," Chris said._

 _Mina yawned. She was ready to meet her brothers' spider-monkey buddies. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had her pink CPS on so she could use some creature powers. "I'm ready," she called._

 _But deep within her, a big doubt about her utility on the team was bothering her. Her powers were not that strong as their sibings' powers. And when she wasn't out there helping her brothers, she was just sitting in the Tortuga, doing nothing at all._

 _"All right," Chris said, interrupting Mina's thoughts. "Let's get going!"_

 _"Look! There's Grabsy!" Martin pointed out in the trees._

 _A little spider monkey swung down from his branch and landed on Mina's shoulder._

 _"Awe, he's so cute," the nymph commented. Grabsy then grabbed her ponytail and started playing with it. "Hey, what are you doing?" Her brothers chuckled._

 _"He wants to give you a baby spider monkey hairdo," Chris explained. "He always gives Martin one."_

 _"Speaking of which, I'm after Mina," the blonde proclaimed. This made both his little siblings laugh._

 _"The Bugs or Monkeys adventure in the Wild Kratts diary is another one of my favorites. What first became a doubt and kind of an argument, turned out becoming one amazing adventure, with a brand new Creature Power Suit," Martin said, while Grabsy turned to him. He had just finished the hybrid's hair and jumped to the eldest sibling's shoulders. The little primate then began Martin's hair makeover. Both brothers looked at their little sister. "Awwe, you look so cute."_

 _"That hairstyle's really you, Mina," Chris complimented._

 _Mina looked at her hair and giggled a little. "It is... pretty wild," she replied._

 _Mina chuckled as she saw Martin's hair. "Oh my, bro! You look hilarious!"_

 _"Hey! I actually like this!" Suddenly, they heard a squawk. Looking up, the Kratts and monkey saw the flying rain forest predator. "Look out! Harpy eagle!" Grabsy made a leap to the thickness of the trees. But the raptor wasn't even after him. Mina's size and hair made her look like a spider monkey. With its strong talons, the eagle plucked her off the ground, making her scream in terror. The Kratt Brothers gasped in horror._

 _"Mina!" they screamed._

 _"Help!" the little girl shrieked. The raptor flew off with the bros trying to keep up. Unfortunately, they tripped over some exposed roots and instantly lost sight of them._

 _"Lemme go! I'm not a spider-monkey!" She moved continuously to get free._

 _It wasn't until it look down that it realized its mistake. At ten feet from the ground, the eagle let her go. She didn't have enough time to levitate and landed on the leafy rain forest floor._

* * *

"Ooooh, I only wish I could get back home," Mina complained. "They must be worried sick."

Suddenly, she picked up some rustling coming from the bushes. The nymph tensed, ready to dash in the other direction if need be. What came out made her relax and even stare like a little kid who found a toy they like. It was a little black cat cub. A little black JAGUAR cub to be exact. Well, he looked a little more grown up, but she recognized him from somewhere.

"Um... hi," she said, standing up, until she knelt, feeling pain in her arm and knee. Although she held onto some branches to land safely, and fell in the mud, her arm and her right knee were wounded.

The black jaguar slowly approached her. "Hello. Who are you?" he asked, as Mina started using her animal understanding power.

"My name's Mina. I was carried off by a harpy eagle and now I'm injured." The jaguar came up to her and began to sniff her. He looked up at her when he was done.

"You smell familiar. And your... coat looks familiar." She knew he was talking about her CPS. "You wouldn't happen to know two grown hairless apes in green and blue, would you?"

Mina tried to hold in a snort of laughter with her hand. "Those 'two grown hairless apes' were probably my brothers. So you know them?"

"Yes. They saved me from this weird, bald ape. Not that I felt threatened." The nymph found it harder to hold in her laughs. He was probably talking about Zach. "I see. Did they name you anything?"

"Actually, they did. I was only a few weeks old when I met them and they named me. They called me Shadow. And I really like it. So did mom."

"Oh, now I recognize you. They wrote about you on the Wild Kratts diary." Mina remembered. She was about to pick her Creaturepod, until she noticed it was broken. And her CPS' button was jammed from the fall. It wouldn't work.

"Well... I can't find a way to communicate with them now," Mina said, tears started falling from her eyes. "I'm scared. I wanna go home. I want my brothers..."

She started sobbing silently, and Shadow licked her tears. "Hey, calm down. Don't worry. I'll help you find them. Hop on." He offered her a ride.

Mina smiled and climbed onto his back. He was pretty strong for a teenage cub. Knowing that she was on, he sprinted into the jungle.

* * *

"Dabio!" Donita called with an annoyed tone. Her henchman came running into the room.

"Here Donita." he responded.

"I'm so out of ideas for my coat collection. It just feels like I have drawed every single animal that would make a good coat, but none of them satisfyied me!" She threw her sketches away, grunting.

One scrap of paper hit a geographic magazine. It fell off the jet's table to and opened to a random page. Dabio picked it up and looked at the article.

"Ooooo, pretty kitties." The fashion designer caught a glimpse of it and went wide eyed.

"Give me that, Dabio!" She swiftly snatched it out of his hands. On the page was a map of Central America and next to it were two pictures of jaguars. One was a normal jaguar, but the other was black. Her eyes sparkled. "That's it! Jaguar coats! Editions in gold and black! Oh, absolutely gorgeous!" Donita stood up. "Prepare the jet, Dabio. We are going to Central America."

* * *

Shadow arrived at his cave with Mina feeling a little sleepy.

"I spent a long time searching for my brothers around the forest. I guees I need to sleep for a bit."

"I don't mind you resting here. Besides, I don't think you'll be getting anywhere with those injuries." He helped her lay down at the far side of the den. "I think I'll stay with you for a while, then go looking for your brothers." Mina smiled with her eyes drooping as he laid down beside her.

"Thank you Shadow," she murmured sleepily before passing out. Shadow let himself fall asleep too as the little nymph snuggled close to him.

* * *

"Mina! Mina!" the Kratt Brothers called.

"We've been searching for hours!" Martin complained. "Where is she?"

"That harpy eagle could've taken her anywhere!" Chris replied. "If it found that she wasn't a spider monkey after all, it probably let her go."

"But where?"

"Martin, look! Over there!" The two rushed over to a spot on the forest floor. There were broken branches littering the ground and it looked like the mud was disturbed by something big. Big as a spider monkey.

"Mina was here!" the Kratt in blue proclaimed.

"And she wasn't alone for long. Look." The brunette pointed to something close by. "Footprints. Cat footprints."

"A jaguar?"

"May be. You don't think it ran off with Mina, do you?"

"Let's hope it's not one that wants to eat her." They followed the trail of tracks.

"Tortuga! We need backup! This is officially a search mission," Martin warned through his Creaturepod.

"Sorry, guys. I'm still working on the damage that girl Chris defeated caused," Koki warned.

"*yawns* Sorry. Got me in my nap time," Jimmy warned.

"Another nap?" Bite-Size asked. "Doesn't he even get tired of... getting tired?"

"*giggle* I don't think so, Bites. I guess it's just you and me available," Aviva said, picking up her M.I.K. and climbing on her buzz bike. "Hasta luego, guys!" She left the Tortuga with the brown bat following her.

* * *

 _"Flora, did you ever like someone?" a younger Mina with all white hair asked her sister. Flora blushed, though her face wasn't seen._

 _"Ah-what would you make you ask that?" she questioned in a bit of embarrassment._

 _"From watching these two birds that once flew by. One liked the other and vice versa. And I wanted to know if you were once like that." The older hybrid smiled sadly._

 _"... There was one that I liked. But he lived a short life and it was so many millenniums ago. He was an apprentice of Mother, a very young one. He didn't care that I wasn't all nymph. He treated me like a friend. And... I just started to want us to be more than friends."_

 _"Was he a brownie fairy?" Flora giggled half-heartedly._

 _"No. He was a human. A mortal." Mina stared right at her with wide eyes._

 _"A human?"_

 _"I didn't care if he were a human, merman, pixie, or any other creature. I felt that he was the one for me. And Aunt Aphrodite even proved it. And then, there were these events that happened that... made it impossible for us to be together. And then he was..." She frowned deeply as tears fell. "I never told him how I felt. And now, he's gone."_

 _Suddenly, a small breeze entered the temple. When the sisters felt it, they also heard the faint laugh of a baby. Flora smiled happily, the tears stopping. "He's back."_

 _"Who's back? Him?"_

 _"It has to be."_

 _"What was his name? I never got his name."_

 _"... Terrance. But everyone called him Terra."_

* * *

Mina awoke from her dream. She had that talk with her sister many years ago. But why she remembered that, she didn't understand.

She looked at the outside of the cave and saw Shadow had returned.

"Any luck?" she asked.

"I did not see any others while on patrol," the jaguar informed. "But knowing them, they might come this way." Suddenly, the trees started to shake. "Something's coming. Quick, get inside." He pushed the little girl back into the den. They sat in the back in silence. The noise came closer and closer. Abruptly, it stopped. But they didn't dare to move.

"Shadow? You there buddy?" A familiar voice called. Both their eyes glittered in relief.

"Martin?" Mina said.

"Mina?" Two grown men entered the cave. They were the Kratt Brothers. The four smiled big.

"Mina!" both bros exclaimed.

"Chris! Martin!" the nymph replied. She crawled over to them due to the limited space in the back and embraced them. "Oh, thank Athena you found me!"

"Wow. You look awful. What happened?" Martin asked.

"This was the harpy eagle, this was the fall, and I'm all covered in mud." She pointed to each of her bruises. "But Shadow helped me. It was nice of him."

"It's nice to see you two again," the jaguar teen greeted them. The two activated their medallions.

"Wow Shadow, you sure got big since last time we saw you," Chris complimented. Martin stroked the teenage cub's head.

"How's it going Shadow?"

"Pretty fine actually. After mom moved out, I've learned to hunt... and pounce." With that, he jumped and tackled the blonde to the ground. Both little siblings and eldest laughed.

"Hello, Shadow," Aviva said when she saw his face. Her medallion was on.

"Oh, you're the older girl. It's nice to see you too." Shadow stepped out of the cave, followed by the Kratts. Mina had several bandages on her arms and legs and the mud was wiped off thanks to Chris.

"Mina! What happened to you?"

"It's a long story," she responded.

"Just take it easy for a while, okay Mina?" Martin told her.

"Okay."

Suddenly, Martin's sprigs started twitching. He looked up and gasped.

"Look out!" he yelled before pushing Mina and Shadow out of the way. A pink box connected to a tube fell on him and Chris. Two lumps in the tube went up until the Kratt Brothers were discarded into a glass cylinder.

"Donita!" the girls exclaimed, recognizing the jet. Donita opened the door to examine her catch. She growled when she saw two of her enemies instead of a jaguar.

"You Wild Kratts just had to get in the way," she complained. Then the fashionista smirked. "Oh well, at least I have two new, cute models to try out my jaguar coats." She leaned forward with her evil look, making the bros back up against the glass walls, holding each other in fear of her forcing them to wear her fashion line.

"Donita Dumbata, let my brothers go!" Mina shouted. "And what was about jaguar coats?"

"I was trying to catch that gorgeous black one, but two Kratt Brothers will do. But don't think I won't return for that one." She disappeared inside her jet.

"Aviva! Get Mina back to the Tortuga! She needs more medical attention," Chris ordered.

"But what about you guys?" Mina asked.

"We'll find a way out, Mina!" Martin shouted as the tube was lift up to the plane.

"NO!" Mina shouted desperately. Then, she flinched in pain. Donita's plan took off.

"Let's go to the Tortuga ahora!" Aviva said, holding Mina in her arms and being followed by Shadow and Bite-Size.

"Please protect them Aunt Athena," the nymph prayed. She knew her aunt was not near, but she knew she was a thing from the heavens.

* * *

"Oh yes, the gold one really compliments your eyes and hair, Chris-Angelo," Donita commented Chris, who was under the control of a pose beam and forced to wear a gold jaguar coat. Martin was stuck under a pose beam too, but didn't have one on. Yet. At least she didn't change their clothes. They glared at her.

"You better let these jaguars go, Donita!" Chris threatened. He was forced to pose with a hand on his hip, upper body turned to his left and a hand on his cheek.

"And us too!" Martin added. He was in the same pose as in Flight of the Draco.

"Not a chance, Martino. You and Chris-Angelo are going to be my top models for the premiere of my rain forest collection. And I have almost every jaguar in this part of the forest ready to be sold." She came over to Martin and inspected him. "Hmmm... Dabio, bring me one of the jaguar coats."

"Here Donita," Dabio said, handing her a suspended wildcat. Donita held it in front of Martin.

"No, it doesn't compliment your perfect blonde hair or blue eyes. Something must make them stand out..." An idea came, making her smile. "A black jaguar coat. Now that's more like it. And that black jaguar cub is just the right size for you. Dabio, find it." As she left, both brothers looked at each other worriedly.

* * *

The Tortuga team was reunited, really worried about the brothers. Mina waited impatiently for Koki to finish cleaning her wounds.

"Stop moving, sweetie," She said.

"I'm worried, Koki. My brothers are being held prisoners by Lady Crazy-Clothes, and I'm just sitting here, being useless."

"Hey, I know how you feel, girl," Bite-Size commented.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I also feel useless sometimes when the team is on Creature Adventures. I used to think, 'I'm just here eating bugs when I could be out there helping.'"

"Oh yeah, and that was a reason why you wanted to be human."

"Yeah, but now I see that I'm helpful in any form. I knew that they will need me when they need me."

Mina smiled. "Thanks, Bite-Size."

"Okay, that's the last one," Koki informed, having the last bandage on.

"Thanks Koki."

Suddenly, the HQ alarm went off. Koki rushed to the monitor and hit a few buttons.

"It's... it's Donita! She's heading this way!"

"She must be after Shadow!" Aviva said. "We can't let her catch him! She might have already catched many creatures!" She took out a sores driver and two jaguar Power Disks. After fixing Mina's CPS button, she held a disk close to her face. "Feel like going on a Kratt Brother Rescue?"

"Hmm... yeah... but I think I have a better idea." Mina looked over a paper mask she made in her spare time.

* * *

*BG music: Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride) - Don Felder*

Aviva and Koki put on their CPS while Mina painted red stripes on her face.

Once the nymph put on her black jaguar mask, she climbed on Shadow's back and all the girls left, while Bite-Size observed.

"Good luck, girls."

* * *

Everything was set. The Kratt brothers were just frozen in position with Chris near the curtain, wearing the jaguar coat. Martin was nearby to the side. He wasn't wearing any jaguar, much to his relief.

"This is terrible! I don't have any plans," Chris said.

"Me neither, bro. And from looking out the window, there are people gathering around very quickly. Even Zach," Martin observed from the window.

"And even worse, he's going to see me in THIS," he spat the last word in disgust. He was wearing a black and white, long sleeved turtleneck. On his hands were brown fashion gloves. He had on black skinny jeans with a loose, diamond studded belt. His safari boots were replaced with brown leather boots.

"Oh yeah. That belt is definitely not you, bro. And neither is the jaguar."

While people from all over the place reunited, Mina and the girls observed from behind some bushes.

"The show's starting now." Koki warned.

"Wow, where you get this idea, Mina?" Aviva asked.

"A Japanese animation movie I saw with Jimmy, about a girl raised by wolves," Mina said, putting her mask on. Then, she looked behind, just to be sure their "army" was ready.

Donita came up on the end of the walkway. "Ladies and gentlemen, I, Donita Donata, present to you the premiere of my rain forest collection: the jaguar coat, gold and black editions," she announced and gestured with a hand to the curtain.

The curtain pulled aside to reveal Chris with his back to the audience. One hand on his waist, cocked to the matching hand and the other hand out in a posing position. The pose beam made him turn around with a flirty look on his face. Inside though, he was absolutely terrified. The people cheered and he actually saw one or two girls faint. He began walking down the walkway. Zach, who was standing nearby, went wide eyed.

"The Ratt Bratt?" he protested angrily, not that anyone heard him. From the bushes, the girls' eyes went wide as well.

"Yikes, now that's cold," Aviva commented.

"Yeah. Making my bro wear that belt and a jaguar? With THAT outfit?" Mina added.

"Definitely NOT in Chris's fashion line," Koki finished, chuckling.

"Okay. Guys, on my signal."

Chris stopped in the center of the stage. Mina whistled the Wild Kratts theme.

"ATTACK!" Aviva shouted.

*BG music: Heavy Metal - Sammy Hagar*

Springing out of the bushes were all sorts of rain forest creatures. All the way from hummingbirds and spider-monkeys to harpy eagles and jaguars. In front were Aviva and Koki in their jaguar suits and Mina riding on Shadow's back with her mask on.

Chris's stared with a surprised expression and Martin could see the attack from the window. The audience began to panic and they ran away. Even Zach was scared off by spider monkeys. A harpy eagle came down on the pose beam controlling Chris and crushed it with its talons.

"I'm free!" he proclaimed. Even the jaguar he had on jumped off and ran into the forest. He jumped down from the stage and managed to find a good sized rock.

"And now for Martin!" With a hood aimed shot, he broke the pose beam on his brother. Martin rushed out from backstage.

"Nice shot, Chris!" he complimented. "And let's not forget the other wildcats!" In his hand was a remote with a single button. With a single push of the button, the jaguars hanging on a rack nearby sprung off. Donita growled in frustration.

"Stupid cat Kratts!" she complained before escaping to her jet. "Always ruining my show with those wild animals!" In a few seconds, she was out of there. The bros turned to Mina with huge smiles.

"Awesome job Mina!" Chris said to her.

"Now that was a show!" Martin added.

"Thanks bros," Mina replied. "And thank you everyone for helping us." The animals did their special calls before disappearing into their home. The only creature that hung around was Shadow.

"Oh, and Chris, you might want to remove the belt."

Martin tried holding in his laughs along with Aviva and Koki. Chris narrowed his eyes at the adults.

"Yeah, I like your mask more anyway."

"Well, thank you Chris."

"That Japanese flick, huh?"

"Precisely." She got off her cat-steed. Shadow have her a lick, leading her to giggle.

* * *

Later, in the Tortuga's shell, Mina reflected about the day while writing a letter to Mother Nature.

"Hey, kid," Bite-Size said.

"Oh, hi." Mina said, finishing her letter.

"Writing a letter for Hermia?" the bat asked.

"Yup."

"In the end of all, you weren't useless at all. It was your brilliant plan that saved the Kratt Bros and sent Donita away."

"Well... guess I'm not useless at all."

"Of course not." Bite-Size touched her cheek with his muzzle and flied back inside.

All the creatures of the forest observed while the Tortuga left the place.


	20. Episode 21: Croc Mother's Day

The mother crocodile Crocodilla swam alongside her six daughters in the river. Her daughters looked a little older since the time they were invited to Martin's birthday. Their teeth were a little bigger, but they always remained by their mother's side. Watching from afar was the Wild Kratts.

"See Mina? Mother crocodiles are very protective of her children," Aviva explained to her sister.

"I never doubted that actually. I believe all mothers are good," Mina said. "What I don't get it is why you doubted, Aviva."

Aviva looked away sadly. "It's a...personal story. And you probably saw the 'Mom of a Croc' chapter in the Wild Kratts Diary."

"Yeah, I saw it. But I just couldn't believe it," Mina admitted.

"That's why I'm also here. Not only as part of our walk around the savannah, but also...to find a way to make amends with her. I don't know...I think the last thing Crocodilla wants now is to see me," Aviva said.

"Hey, but she hasn't listened to any of the bad things you said."

"Still..."

Koki put a comforting hand on Aviva's shoulder.

"Hey, Viva. Don't be like that," Chris said via Creaturepod. "I don't think Crocodilla held such a grudge against us. We did invite her daughters for Martin's birthday, remember?"

"Yeah, maybe her daughters can forgive me, but..."

"Look! There she is!" Koki interrupted the chat, seeing Crocodilla swimming out of the lake and looking for some spot in the sand.

"What's she doing?"

"Aviva, I guess she must be planning to make another croc nest." Chris observed as Crocodilla digged. "Here comes more baby crocs!"

"Wow!" Aviva said. "This time, I wanna see this closely." She, Koki and Mina ran to the bushes, and started observing.

"Wow, her back feet are very powerful. And they can really scoop sand."

"Stage 1 is beginning," Martin said through the Creature Pod. "Stage 2 coming up fast."

"Oh my gosh. She's entering her trance, and laying the eggs now!" Aviva squealed.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Koki said.

"Wow! That's a huge hole!" Bite-Size said. "And many eggs."

"The female crocs dig a hole a few meters from the bank and up to 500 mm deep, and lays between 25 and 80 eggs. The number of eggs varies, but averages around 50, " Martin explained.

"Originally, I thought that her burying her eggs was cold-hearted of her, until I saw that it was to keep them warm. And, depending on the temperature underneath, they can become either boys or girls."

"Wow. Do you think all creatures are like that?" Mina asked.

"*giggle* No, only crocs."

"Uh-oh." Koki looked up, and saw Zach's plane.

* * *

From up above, Zach watched Crocodilla with an evil grin.

"Those teeth are ginormous! Perfect for my new Zachbot Bodyguards!" Zach said. "Everyone knows that crocs are beasts with teeth that gives anyone the shivers! Go get that monster!" He ordered. Three Zachbots left the plane.

"Look out! Zachbot attack!" Koki exclaimed.

"Oh no! They're after Crocodilla!" Aviva said as the robots begin surrounding the crocodile. "And she's still in her trance!"

"We have to stop them!" Mina said.

Aviva impulsevely came out of her hideout and stood in front of the croc mom.

"You have to get through me to get her, you tin cans!" She menaced, with her screwdriver in hands.

All they did was beep before charging at her. Aviva stood her ground and stuck her screwdriver in one of them. It easily short-circuited and she threw it at another. However, she missed the third robot and it managed to grab Crocodilla.

"Hey! Let her go!"

Aviva climbed on the robot, hitting him with the screwdriver. Crocodilla, already out of her trance, attacked the robot with her teeth, and the three fell on the lake. A explosion was seen, surprising and worrying everyone.

Crocodilla emerged, carrying Aviva on her back, while the Air Guardian coughed some water out of her lungs. The croc slowly walked back to the sand, and fainted after dropping Aviva close to the nest.

"Ugh...huh?" Aviva held her head, still dazed because of the explosion. She gasped when she saw the injured croc. "Crocodilla!" The crew rushed over to her.

"Oh man! She's seriously hurt!" Chris pointed out. "And I don't think she'll be able to guard her new eggs in this condition!"

"Then who will?" Mina asked. "You said that a lot of creatures eat crocodile eggs!"

"They do!" Martin proved. Aviva thought, until she came with an idea.

"I will," she stated firmly. Everyone looked at her rather surprised.

"What?!" they asked.

Suddenly, Crocodilla's six daughters started nibbling Aviva's leg. She looked down to see the worry on their faces.

"I feel like I have to. I simply feel it," Aviva said.

"Okay. I'm going to help Aviva," Martin said. "Take Crocodilla to the Tortuga and take care of her."

"Okay," Koki said. "We'll bring some water for her, it'll make it easier." Then, she felt one of Crocodilla's babies nibbling on her leg.

"I guess Frederica wants to go with you," Martin said.

"Well... I guess it's okay." Koki extended her hand for Frederica to climb on.

Jimmy teleported a transportable tank big enough for the croc. Martin and Chris loaded her up. Next coming in was a hose like device and Aviva put an end into the tank and the other into the river. The invention started absorbing some of the water and putting it into the tank. She pulled out the end in the river when the water was at the croc's nostrils.

"Okay, let's get her home." Koki said, driving the Createrra with Mina and the water tank on the back. The Wild Kratts followed her.

Aviva looked back at the baby crocs. "Don't worry, Martin will be here soon."

* * *

"UGH! We were so close!" Zach complained with his Zachbots around him. "Ms. Smarty Pants had to ruin everything! Really hard to believe she's willing to protect these beasts."

He saw Aviva giggling as the baby crocs climbed on her clothes.

"Well, let's keep watching...maybe this new babies can be useful..."

* * *

"Here I am!" Martin said, bringing on his buzz bike the Miniturizer and a enormous backpack. "Brought some stuff for the croc nest protection and for camping here."

He activated the Miniturizer and shrunk himself. "Bury the eggs, and i'll observe them by the inside."

"Okay." Aviva started burying the eggs.

She then called Jimmy. "Jimmy, can you teleport my CPS and a Crocodile Creature Power Disk?"

"On its way, Aviva!" Instantly, her suit and a disk appeared above her. She was quick enough to grab them. The inventor slipped on the vest and placed the disk in the button. Aviva touched Jawsana with one finger.

"Activate Croc Powers!"

Once with her croc powers activated, she kept in position for any possible predators.

"How's everything, Martin?" Aviva asked the Kratt in blue.

"Every egg safe and sound," he answered. "Temperature is actually perfect for little boy crocs. Look out, Croc Sisters. You got some little brothers coming in a few months.

Wanting to hear what the baby crocs were saying, Aviva picked up her medallion and activated her animal comprehension power.

"Yay! Cool!" Jawsana said.

"All right! More siblings!" Munchette said.

"Little brothers!" Snapiffer cheered. Avidile (Aviva Crocodile) and Martin chuckled at their enthusiasm.

"We're glad you girls are looking forward to your new siblings," Aviva said to them.

"Of course we are!" Chompella said. "We're actually the only survivors from our nest." She stated. "Most of our sisters were eaten by predators. Mom never forgave herself for losing so many of her babies. So, as the only survivors we decided to help in protection next time she laid eggs."

"Wow... that's sad." Avidile said.

"But very loyal of you to stay by her side the next time she laid eggs," the blonde Kratt brother pointed out.

"Of course. We love our mother," Crunchita told them. "We'll do anything for her."

"Anything..." The girl in the Croc Suit repeated softly. This made her remember her days as a child with her mother.

* * *

 _Young Aviva drew some rockets on a piece of paper._

 _"Look, Mom! It's me and you on the Moon!" Aviva pointed to two stick people._

 _"How beautiful, Aviva," Her mother said._

 _"You think I can make a rocket like this for real?"_

 _"*giggle* You wanna be an astronaut?"_

 _"Who doesn't?" Aviva said, giggling. "But I wanna take you with me when I go to the moon."_

 _"Awww, mi Avivita..." Her mother embraced her. "You would do that?"_

 _"I would do anything for you, mom. Te amo."_

* * *

Aviva sighed as she remembered that. She missed her mother so much… and it was really bad not seeing her for such a long time.

"Aviva, you okay?" Martin asked through his Creature Pod.

"I'm okay, MK. Just remembering my own mom."

"Moms are wonderful, huh?" Martin thought. "Speaking of this, Mother's Day's coming. Me and Chris worked on something to give to our mom."

* * *

Meanwhile at the Tortuga, while Koki examined Crocodilla, Chris finished the thing Martin was talking about.

"Whatcha makin' Chris?" Jimmy asked.

"It's for our mom for Mother's Day," he explained, holding the item up for him to see.

There was a basket with a picture of the Kratt bros as kids with their mother that Martin copied from the Wild Kratts' Diary, some flowers and a small sculpture of an elephant.

"Mom's favorite animals are elephants," Chris explained. "And she loves Nervilia flowers."

"Really thoughtful. I always send an e-mail to my mother, with pictures from our recent adventures," Jimmy said.

"I like sending roses and bonbons to my mom," Koki said.

"There's a day for mothers? I didn't know that," Mina said.

"You never celebrated Mother's Day?" Chris asked.

Mina shook her head. "No. I didn't even know it existed."

"Well, little sister, Mother's Day is a weekend holiday where people show appreciation to their moms for all they've done for them. It's like a day to honor mothers."

"Wow. Now that you say that, maybe I should get something for my mom..." The nymph mulled over the possibilities.

* * *

Days passed. While Aviva looked around the nest, Martin watched the eggs.

Time by time, the Croc sisters climbed on her, either to tell stories about their hunts or to tell about her mother. Other times, they helped her expelled any intruder, like Marabou storks, monitor lizards or honey badgers.

"Phew...Crocodilla's work sure is hard." Avidile sighed.

* * *

Some weeks passed. The crew in the Tortuga observed Aviva, trying not to move from her position.

"She haven't eat anything for days. Neither has Martin," Jimmy said. "I'll send them a snack."

A few seconds later, a nice bologna sandwich was dropped onto Avidile's snout.

"Thanks Jimmy," she said.

Down below, another sandwich landed on the eggs with Martin nearby.

"Thanks Jimmy."

* * *

More weeks passed. It was nighttime, and Aviva was still looking around for intruders, until she started to yawn. She was really tired, but she refused to let the guard down.

"Aviva, I guess you need to rest." Koki said.

"I can't...I have to...protect the nest..." Aviva said, yawning again.

"Even crocs need some rest. Crocodilla's sleeping now. And she's recovering quickly." Koki told the good news. Fredrica slept with her mother in the tank.

"Good to know."

"Com' on, rest a little, Viva. We'll send flycams to your location."

The flycams came quickly, and one of them buried itself in the nest to watch the eggs. Aviva lowered her arms and legs, and the Croc Sisters snuggled close to her.

"I miss our mom," Snappifer said.

"Well...if there's something I can do to make you feel better... say it," Aviva asked.

"Well...when we feel sad, Mom usually sing to us," Chompella said.

"Sing, huh?" Martin said. "Mom used to do that too."

Aviva hummed a certain song that Martin recognized immediatly.

"You know that song?" The Kratt in blue asked.

"It was one of my favourites when Mom sang to me," Aviva explained. She put her Creaturepod nearby and put a song to play.

 _*Music: Anne Murray - You Needed Me*_

 _Aviva and Martin sung the song to the baby crocs, as they both prepared to sleep, and remembered of their mothers._

 _Aviva: I cried a tear, you wiped it dry_

 _I was confused, you cleared my mind_

 _Martin: I sold my soul, you bought it back for me_

 _And held me up and gave me dignity_

 _Aviva: Somehow you needed me, You gave me strength_

 _Martin: To stand alone again, To face the world_

 _Martin and Aviva:_

 _Out on my own again_

 _You put me high upon a pedestal_

 _So high that I could almost see eternity_

 _You needed me, you needed me_

Koki and Chris, who had observed them, wiped some tears.

"Hard to believe she used to hate crocs..." Chris commented, and Koki agreed. Jimmy and Mina looked at them, agreeing, and looked back to the water tank.

* * *

One more week passed, and nothing changed.

"Aviva IS taking this seriously, huh?" Koki commented as she observed Avidile watching the nest again.

"Well, you know her. If there's something on her head, she doesn't give up of it," Chris said.

Crocodilla slowly opened her eyes. "Guys, she's waking up!" Mina warned.

The reptilian mother groggily looked around the HQ. The crew activated their comprehension power.

"Mommy!" Fredrica said joyfully.

"Wh-where am I?" the grown croc asked.

"It's okay, Crocodilla, you're safe in Tortuga Headquarters," Koki explained. "You passed out after helping Aviva take out that Zachbot so we brought you here to recover. And don't worry about your new eggs. Aviva, Martin and your other five daughters have been watching them for you." The huge reptile stood up.

"They have?"

"See for yourself." Koki showed Avidile on the screen. She was expelling a honey badger.

"Hey, get lost! Leave them alone!" she said.

"WOO-HOO! Go, Aviva Crocovado!" Martin cheered.

"Hey, isn't that...?" She recognized Aviva.

"Our Aviva. She's pretty much doing this as an apology for judging you when you had your first nest."

"Apology? To a croc?"

"It doesn't bother her anymore."

The croc looked at how determinated she seemed.

"Well, gotta admit she's dedicated..."

"That's our Aviva: you just can't change her mind sometimes.l," Chris chuckled.

"See, mom? Told you she was nice," Fredrica said.

"Yeah...she is..." The croc thought.

"Well done, Aviva! You sent that honey badger on his way! And just in time," Martin said. "Crocodilla's babies are hatching!"

"Hatching?!" Aviva and Mina exclaimed, surprised.

"Hatching?!" the rest of the crew said. Everyone rushed to the nest with the mother croc and her little girl following not far behind.

* * *

Avidile began digging up the sand. Suddenly crawling out were little baby crocodiles.

"Wow, there's so many. I hope you named all of them, Martin," she joked.

"Oh, I have only named one. And he's the first one that hatched," Martin said. "I named him Chopper."

Crocodilla observed as her babies reunited with her, and told about Aviva's efforts to protect the nest in her absence.

"Look how cute they are," Mina pointed to the baby crocs. Chopper climbed on her hand.

"But he's not!" Koki panicked, looking up. "Zachbot attack!"

Several Zachbots came down towards everyone. Following behind was Zach. And he looked like he was up to something.

"Well, I see that there's now plenty of crocs to go around," the villain mused. "I'll just take a few and inject some growing serum to make them big. And then I can have my Croco-Guards!"

"Forget it, Zach! You're not getting any of these babies!" Aviva shouted. She snapped her jaws as a warning.

"It surprises me seeing you protective of such horrifying beasts!" Zach mocked.

"You're wrong, Zachary!" Aviva stood up, still with her croc suit. "And I was also wrong a long time ago."

 _*flashback*_

 _"Like most people think, I used to believe the same you said. I built one of my favorite inventions, although for the wrong reasons. But it took this special croc mother to show me I was wrong all along._

 _"After all, Nile crocs might just be the best moms in the world. A crocodile of a mom!"_

I'm willing now to protect her and her new baby boys!" She snapped again.

"And we're with you all the way!" Chris encouraged, activating his own croc powers. Soon, the whole team followed his lead. They snapped at the robots before they could get any closer.

"Let's see how you take an army of crocs!" Aviva said.

*BG music: Megadeth - Back in the Day*

The Kratt Crocs attacked the Zachbots with the fury of an army, while Crocodilla and Mina protected the baby crocs.

"Go, Aviva!" Jawsana cheered, being followed by her sisters.

"Come on, Wild Crocs!" shouted Chompella. "You can do it!"

In a matter of minutes, every Zachbot was a pile of scrap.

"NOOOO!" Zach screeched.

"Get lost, Zach!" the Air Guardian yelled. Crocodilla came up to the team and they all snapped in unison. Frightened by their jaws, the evil inventor shrieked and fled to his jet.

The croc babies and Mina cheered for the team.

Crocodilla turned to Aviva.

"To think that I used to think that all humans were monsters... I was never so wrong in my life," With those words, Aviva felt the need to knelt and embrace the croc. And so she did.

* * *

Later, the Tortuga was parked close to the lake. Aviva wrote in the Wild Kratts' Diary and noticed something.

"These little guys were born right on Mother's Day," she said. "I think they're your gift this year, Crocodilla."

"There is no better gift than seeing my babies growing up healthy and strong," The croc mother answered, looking at all her babies, and at her named daughters and son, hunting dragonflies together.

Mina took a picture of the successful mission and sent it in a letter to Mother Nature.

"Well, that's a day for all mothers, animals and humans," Martin said, while sending Jimmy some coordenates for him to teleport his and Chris's present to their mom.

* * *

In the Kratt household, Linda Kratt was placing a flower pot by the window in the kitchen. She always thought if it's already been years since she last saw her boys in person. Sure, they always write to her and they call each other, which were good enough, but she wished that one day her successful sons would stop by.

Suddenly, something flashed behind her. She looked at the table behind and was surprised that there were presents sitting there. Attached to the elephant was a card. Addressed from her boys. When she finished reading it, she smiled as tears came down a bit. They had written about their adventures with creatures and even the magical people. The mention of magical people was what brought tears to her eyes. Not out of grief, but out of happiness.

"I knew they would connect again with that part of the world most people don't understand," the woman said to herself. "It had been so long since... then."

She looked out the window.

"Keep on strong, my babies... keep on strong..."

* * *

The Wild Kratts observed as Crocodilla swam around with her kids.

"I call a toast to all mothers!" Chris lift off a glass of juice.

"To all mothers!" the crew chanted as the dinged their glasses. The crocs followed with a snap of joy.


	21. Episode 22: Martin and the Fisk-keteers

In the ocean, the Kratt bros and the team dove into the ocean with the sea vehicles' help.

"Are we in the right direction, Mina?" Chris asked his little sister, while piloting the Octopod.

"According to the map Mommy gave me, we're close," she answered.

Bite-Size just observed the sea through the Octopod's window. "Wow, I never thought there were so much stuff in the water."

"There are millions of species here, Bites. You spent your whole life on the surface. There was no way you could know this."

"There!" Mina pointed out to a coral door in front of them. Once they passed through it, they were amazed: there was a wonderful temple, full of pearls and coral.

"Here we are. Poseidon's temple," Luna announced. She and Mina left the Octopod without diving gear.

"Hey! You guys are gonna drown," Aviva warned.

"No, we won't, silly. There's oxygen here," Luna said, waving to them with her wing. With that advice, the Wild Kratts left their vehicles. Jimmy was covering his mouth and nose with his hands, until Koki gave him a soft slap on his neck.

"Why have you done... Oh..." Jimmy realized he could breath, while Koki and Bite-Size hid their chuckling.

"Welcome, Guardians, to my humble temple," Poseidon itself received the Wild Kratts. Mina ran to embrace him. "And hello, my little niece. I haven't seen you since your sister died."

"Well, let's just say plenty of stuff happened, Uncle Poseidon," Mina said.

Suddenly, Martin's medallion started floating by itself and dragging him. "Hey! What's going on?"

The Sea God immediately clapped his hands, calling for help. Three swordfish and a younger one helped Martin slowing down.

"Are you okay?" the younger asked.

"Yeah... I think so..." Martin said. Seeing his medallion was still pointing to somewhere, Martin followed the medallion's direction, and touched a certain wall of the temple, opening a secret compartment... with a sword on it. "Wow..." The sword had a sky blue grip and guard with a blue stone as its pommel. There was even another stone in the middle of the guard. The main part of the sword was long and silver.

"You must be one of the Guardians," one of the swordfishes said. "That sword belonged to the previous Water Guardian. For right, it now belongs to you."

Martin smiled with that and picked up the sword. "It's beautiful," he said. Then, his medallion started glowing again and the sword converted into a blue light, entering it.

"Well, looks like Chris is no longer the only one with a weapon," Martin said, with a smile.

"Also, according to the Musketeer Law, you must stay here in the temple... forever," another swordfish said.

"Well, that's interesting, I never actually had a... whaaaaaaat?" Martin asked, shocked.

"Forever?!" the others exclaimed, equally shocked.

"Letter to the Wild Kratts!" A seahorse came into the temple quickly. "From Mother Nature."

"Lemme see." Bite-Size grabbed the letter. "Dear Guardians, I fear you will have trouble. It was heard from some of my "agents" that one of your enemies is looking for swordfish to cook!"

"GOURMAND!" They recognized the description.

* * *

It was Gourmand. He approached the place with his boat, looking for his ingredients.

"Swordfish stew. Why haven't I thought about that before? They may not be endangered, but who has ever tasted something like this?" he spoke to himself, as he prepared to dive.

* * *

Later, in the temple's garden, Martin was worried. Leaving his friends? Not living other Creature Adventures? Staying forever? He sighed sadly. Then, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"So... wanna practice?" It was the younger swordfish.

"Sure." Martin said, activating his new sword.

After some battles, Martin was defeated. "Touché," the swordfish said.

"Wow, you're good."

"Thanks. I always train, cause I'm dying to go on patrol with my brothers, but they don't let me because I'm too young. I have been practicing since I was saved by them from a fishing net," the swordfish said.

"Hmmm...this reminds me of a book I read once." Martin picked up a book on his backpack. "The Three Musketeers. It's about a young man named D'Artagnan, who joins the royal musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis to save the kingdom."

"I guess Poseidon also read this book. Athos, Porthos and Aramis are my brothers' names," the swordfish exclaimed.

"So it would be fair if your name was D'Artagnan," Martin suggested.

"Yeah, I like this name," D'Artagnan said. "Suddenly, I feel way more included on the team."

* * *

Later, the fish-keteers talked among themselves, trying to find a way of protecting the temple against the thief.

"We could put more guards at the entrance!"

"No way, they need to protect other rooms! What if the thief finds another way of entering?"

While they were discussing among themselves, Gourmand really found another way to get into the temple.

"Atlantis may be a myth, but this temple is not! And it's full of delicious swordfish to cook!" Gourmand thought, not noticing the dark magic cloud escaping his hat and hiding in the shadows. "I'll wait until they get distracted, and then, there'll be swordfish stew in my menu!" Gourmand cackled evilly.

* * *

That night, the Wild Kratts were all asleep on their rooms, except for Martin. Leaving his room to take a look around the temple, the Kratt in blue couldn't stop thinking about leaving his brother and family. That was so unfair...

Suddenly, he saw D'Artagnan mumbling on the garden.

"Hey. What's up, D'Artagnan?" Martin asked.

"My brothers didn't let me join them in patrol again... and you?"

"I'm still bugged about this whole thing of staying here forever. It's so unfair!"

"Well, it is Poseidon's law. He believed that his fish-keteers should remain here to protect the temple in all occasions."

"But don't they miss their families? Their home?" The Kratt in blue did have a point.

"Maybe..."

"I think we should speak with Poseidon about this law. It is clearly unfair," Martin decided, and D'Artagnan agreed.

Suddenly, they heard a scream from the hallway, and ran to see who was it. It was Aramis, one of

D'Artagnan's brothers. The Wild Kratts also heard the scream and ran to see what was going on.

"What happened, Aramis?" D'Artagnan asked.

"It's horrible! Our brothers were taken by a human in white to the surface! He said they would be perfect for his soup!" Aramis said, desperately, making the others gasp.

"HELP!" The seahorse who brought Mother Nature's letter previously appeared. "Poseidon's trident was taken away by some kind of dark cloud!"

"Dark cloud?" Luna asked. "So these troublemakers are back..."

* * *

Once Poseidon was woken up, the Wild Kratts told him about the incident.

"We need to get them all back. The trident and the fish-keteers," the Sea god stated.

"Leave Gourd-mand to us," Mina said. The Wild Kratts agreed.

"Then let's go!" Martin said.

"But what about the Musketeer Law?" D'Artagnan reminded him.

"Listen, I may be a new musketeer, but I'm still a Guardian!" Martin said. "My siblings and friends need me, and I'm not letting an unfair law like that stop me from doing my duty."

Poseidon, hearing these words, thought about the Musketeer Law.

Maybe the Water Guardian was right. That law was unfair... because by keeping the fish-keteers in the temple, he has been keeping them from seeing their families and helping other sea creatures.

"I'm going after the dark cloud, you guys search Gourmand," Martin said, with the posture of a leader.

With all agreed, the Wild Kratts left Poseidon's temple.

* * *

"Come out, you dark monster!" Martin challenged, once he got on the surface. "I know you're here!"

The dark cloud appeared, with the trident within it.

"You may not have a physical form, but I'll defeat you!" Martin summoned his sword. "En garde!"

What Martin didn't know is that the mysterious statue was observing everything. "You want physical form, huh? Here you go!" her distorted female voice was heard, and its eles glowed.

The cloud assumed the form of a warrior with a dark sword. "Bring it on," he challenged.

*BG music: Agent Orange - Bloodstains*

The duel was pretty balanced for a while, until the cloudman knocked Martin down. Then, the Kratt in blue remembered how he defeated the last dark cloud he faced.

Closing his eyes, he thought about everything and everyone he loved and wanted to protect. Soon, his bravery was manifested into his sword, making it a double edged Medieval sword, and in one single attack, he defeated the cloudman, making it run away and leave behind Poseidon's trident.

"Now, after Gourmand," Martin said, proudly.

* * *

Martin reached Gourmand's boat quickly, seeing the team trapped by doughballs.

"Let them all go, Gourmand!" he challenged. "Or you'll not like what I'll do."

"Oh, I'm so afraid of Blue Berry and his little stick!" Gourmand mocked.

"Oh, yeah?" Martin concentrated his bravery on the sword again and sliced the net, freeing the swordfishes, who quickly jumped in the water. Then, he sliced the doughballs, freeing the team and turned to Gourmand. "Not bad for a stick, huh?"

Gourmand gulped. Martin hit the boat, opening a hole on it and making it slowly drown. Gourmand caught his jetpack and escaped.

"You haven't seen the last of me! I'll be back!"

The Wild Kratts hopped to their sub-vehicles, and dove back to the temple.

* * *

"I don't know how to thank you all enough for the help," Poseidon said. "This trident has powers beyond comprehension."

Martin sighed. "I guess this is good-bye, guys," he said, not forgetting about the Musketeer Law. "Will you be okay?"

"Sure they will. After all, you'll be going with them," Poseidon said, chuckling.

"WHAT?!" the Wild Kratts and the fish-keteers asked.

"You were right. That law is clearly unfair, and should be excluded," Poseidon said. "So, as god of the seas, I declare that the Fish-keteers can go home whenever they want, for the Musketeer Law is cancelled."

The crew all cheered, not only because Martin could go home with them, but for the fish-keteers as well.

"Hey, D'Artagnan, why don't you go with us?" Aramis asked.

"Really?" D'Artagnan asked.

"Well, things are finally gonna be okay around here." Martin felt happy for the younger swordfish.

"We should celebrate," Jimmy suggested.

"Agreed. And I guess I have an idea," The Kratt in blue said.

* * *

"Woo-hoo!" the crew cheered, being carried by the swordfish.

"Don't think you can make something inspired on this, Aviva," Martin joked.

"Oh, yeah?" The inventor stood up on Porthos's back and pulled out her screwdriver, challenging Martin. "And I think you can't defeat me."

Martin summoned his sword. "We'll see about that."

They started a friendly battle, as the rest of the crew watched and laughed.


	22. Episode 23: Music From My Heart

On a Carribean beach, the Wild Kratts had a dayoff. Aviva was sunbathing, not forgetting about her sunblock, and the Kratt Bros just returned from a visit totheir dolphin buddies.

"Bye, guys!" Chris waved to Whistle and Click. Mina, who was playing in the sand, saw them coming.

"Your friends Whistle and Click?"

"Chapter "Speaking Dolphinese"." Chris winked.

Koki was bothered by something. Bite-Size, who was drinking some water from a glass on the desk, noticed that.

"Hey, what's up, Koki?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, Bites," Koki snapped out of her thoughts. But actually, her feelings were really messy.

Suddenly, a letter from Mother Nature came through a portal. While Bite-Size opened it, Koki ran to warn the crew.

"Guys! Letter from Hermia!"

* * *

"Chione, goddess of snow, wants to invite the Nature Guardians for the North Mountain Music Festival. We hope you join us in our festivities," Bite-Size read it once the crew was reunited.

"Wow! It's been long since I was at a music festival," Koki pointed out.

"I have never been at one before," Mina said. "Sounds cool."

"All right! Let's go then!" Jimmy Z ran to the Tortuga's head, ready to fly.

The Tortuga lift off, and flew to the North.

* * *

Once they landed, the Wild Kratts got amazed by the view. The temple on the mountain top was blue and decorated with snowflakes.

"Welcome, Wild Kratts," a woman in a blue dress came to receive them. "I am Chione. Welcome to my humble temple."

"Wow. This place is huge," Aviva observed, as they entered the temple.

"Oh, Miss Aviva, Hermia didn't lie... you do look like Flora." Chione observed, making the inventor blush.

"No one have come yet. You got here really early," The snow goddess pointed out. "Me and my nymphs are still working on the inner decoration. But the festival will start tomorrow, and we still haven't finished."

"Don't worry, Chione. We'll help you," Martin said.

"Really?"

"Sure. As Nature Guardians, we must," Chris said.

*BG music: Bone Symphony - One Foot In Front Of The Other *

During all the afternoon, the Wild Kratts helped Chione to decorate the temple for the festival. Bite-Size put the higher decorations, beind helped by Luna.

Aviva and the boys set things on stage, eventually tumbling on each other.

Koki and Jimmy just tried not to look at each other, as if they were trying to hide something.

By nighttime, all was done.

"Thank you all very much," Chione said. "My nymphs may be efficient, but they have other duties."

"*yawn* I don't know about you guys, but I think we should rest for tomorrow," Aviva suggested.

The Kratt bros yawned together. "Agreed," they said.

"Do they have to do everything together?" Chione whispered to Mina.

"That's just the way they are," Mina said.

* * *

Each of the Wild Kratts got a different room, except for the Kratt bros, who decided to share their room.

In her room, Koki was observing the things from up the North Mountain. It was a beautiful sight.

"Hey, Koki. Can't sleep?" Bite-Size asked.

"Well..." Koki felt she needed to say something.

"Come on, spill it out. Whatever you want to say, it can't be that worr..."

"I'M IN LOVE WITH JIMMY!" Koki interrupted Bite-Size.

"Wow... how come I never knew?" Bite-Size said ironically.

"Um... guess I've been making it obvious, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"*sigh* I may be that kind of person that's not afraid of speaking its mind, but... I just don't know how to say this to JZ," Koki admitted. "I mean, what if he doesn't like me the way I like him?"

"Hmm... I may not understand much about humans, but I do know some stuff about love," Bite-Size said.

"Plase, Bites, don't tell anyone, okay?" Koki begged as she laid on her hammock.

"Don't sweat it. Your secret's safe." Bite-Size covered her with a blanket and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Now, get some sleep, cause you have a big day tomorrow."

After this, the brown bat started flying around the temple, exploring every single place.

"I'M IN LOVE WITH KOKI!" he heard Jimmy's voice saying, followed by Martin's loud gasp.

"I knew it! I knew it!" Martin cheered. Chris just looked at Jimmy, with an "I-already-knew-that" expression. Bite-Size observed everything from behind a column.

"I guess you already knew this," Jimmy said. "I don't know, ever since we met, I felt something for her, but I never had the guts to admit it. She's a girl full of attitude, bravery and unlike me, she's never afraid of saying anything."

"Well, gotta admit she has such a mouth," Martin said.

"If only I had a good way to tell her about what I feel," Jimmy lamented, while picking up a guitar close to him.

When he started playing it, Martin and Chris just watched, amazed at his ability.

"Wow! I didn't know you played guitar," Chris said.

"I don't only like controllers and video-games, you know," Jimmy said. "I also like singing."

"Really?" Chris asked.

"I have an idea! Play something for Koki. There's nothing more romantic than a serenade."

"Yeah, maybe I should," Jimmy thought it was a great idea. Bite-Size squealed silently, happy to know that JZ felt the same way about Koki.

* * *

The next day, everyone prepared for the great day. Mother Nature sent them their Guardian Robes.

"I love these robes!" Aviva said, putting on her purple robe. "They're very comfortable!"

"Agreed. Plus, they match with us!" Chris observed his green robe.

"Hey, Koki," Bite-Size called his BFF's attention. "Guess what? I'm gonna be the first brown bat to sing at a festival!"

"Cool!" Koki rubbed her little buddy's head with her finger. "Good luck then, buddy."

Jimmy, after finishing putting on his yellow robe, saw Koki with her orange robe. She looked beautiful…

* * *

By night, the temple was filled of people, who just couldn't wait for the show to start.

"The festival's idea was given by the Muses," Chione explained to Chris, who was dying to improve his mythology skills. "They believed that the cool air of the North mountain would give them some inspiration for art, but they ended up with a way better idea."

"Impressive," Chris noted everything on his mythology book.

"Oh, I have to go. Need to introduce the first artist," Chione said, floating quickly to the stage.

As Chione made the introductions, she didn't noticed the dark clouds coming behind her.

"Ladies and gentleman, to open this music festival, a little brown bat who has a lot to say. Everybody greet... Bite-Size Bambrick!" Chione introduced Bite-Size.

"Bite-Size Bambrick?" Chris asked Koki.

"What? He's my pet, although I hate using that term," Koki said.

* * *

After Bite-Size's presentation, the festival started reuniting other good musicians from all around the world. It was all going pretty well.

Jimmy was tuning a guitar he found, when suddenly his medallion and Koki's started glowing and pointing to somewhere. Following their medallions' direction, they found a spear and a shield.

"What are you doing here?" Chione asked, seeing them in the weaponry room. "Oh, these weapons..." She observed the weapons their medallions were pointing at.

"They once belonged to two brave warriors, who could be considered the first Fire Guardians. Ares decided to keep them here after the big war we once faced."

"War?" Jimmy and Koki asked.

"It's a long story..." Chione said. "But now I guess we should return to the main room. I need to introduce the next number."

Jimmy and Koki touched the weapons, curious about them. Suddenly, the shield become a ball of red light and entered Jimmy's medallion, and the Spear entered Koki's medallion as well.

"Wow," Jimmy said.

"Wait till we tell everybody!" Koki said, as they followed Chione. The dark clouds, who were hiding in the shadows, quickly managed to leave the room.

* * *

The festival continued as planned, until the lights went out.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?" a nymph asked.

"I can't see a thing!" a faun said.

Suddenly, they heard a crashing sound, and everybody panicked. Koki and Jimmy used their fireballs to light up the torches, and saw that a snow leopard was buried under a candelabra.

"Blizzard!" Chione gasp, desperate. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh... it hurts..." the leopard said.

"What happened? Who did this?" Chris asked.

"Those troublemakers!" Martin saw the dark clouds escaping.

"Someone help Blizzard!" Chione said, desperated. Aviva quickly helped the Ice goddess to get the candelabra off the leopard, and Martin and Chris brought a first-aid kit.

"Wow, she's really hurt," Chris observed as he bandaged her.

"These dark clouds doesn't seem to care about anything!" Koki complained. "Let's find them!"

"Okay. You and Jimmy go after them. We need to take care of Blizzard," Aviva said.

* * *

The Fire Guardians explored the temple's hallways.

"I think we have a better chance of finding them if we lower the lights," Koki said, slowly making her fireballs' light weaker.

"I'm scared!" Jimmy shivered.

"You're scared of lots of things, silly," Koki said, chuckling. Then, she thought for a moment. "If you want... you can... hold my hand."

Jimmy blushed. He hesitated for a moment before holding her hand.

Suddenly, they saw something moving in the darkness. Koki illuminated the place, and they saw the clouds escaping.

"Hey! Come back here!" Koki let go of Jimmy's hand and ran after the clouds, being followed by Jimmy, who was just not into getting alone in the dark.

* * *

"Don't worry, Chione, she'll be just fine," Chris told the Ice goddess who was worried sick about her beloved leopard.

"Thank goodness. She lived with me since she was a little cub. I love her very much," Chione admitted.

Suddenly, the dark clouds appeared again, trying to knock down the torches. The Guardians tried to attack them, but these clouds seemed faster than the others they faced.

Jimmy and Koki observed the mess the clouds were causing. She felt they needed to help.

"Jimmy! We gotta do something!" Koki summoned her new weapon. She saw the spear's point was glowing and pointed it to a torch. The spear absorbed the fire from the torch. "Cool. This thing works as some kind of sponge! It absorbs energy, converting it into power attack!"

Jimmy summoned his shield. "It's circle-shaped, like that dude from the comics' shield. I wonder if it does some..." He was interrupted, as a dark cloud flied on their direction. Jimmy shouted, throwing the shield on its direction, and splitting it in two. The shield returned to him after that. "Cool! Just like a boomerang."

"My turn! I guess I know how this works." Koki pointed the spear on the clouds' direction, and attacked them with the fire she absorved from the torch.

"Wow! I need to invent something like this," Aviva took note, as she also noticed an efficient way of defeating the clouds. "Get them with power attacks! They're fast, but they can't absorb light!"

The Guardians agreed, as Aviva help Chione to get to cover with Blizzard.

Martin, Chris, Koki and Jimmy attacked the dark clouds with their weapons. Aviva just looked at them, a little upset for being the only one to not have a Guardian Weapon.

As they trapped the clouds in a corner, Koki absorbed them with her spear and sent them on their way.

The people cheered for the Guardians.

"Nice work, Guardians! I'm glad you sent those monsters away," Chione greeted. "But... I guess our stage have been a little... messed up."

They looked at the stage... it was a mess!

"No sweat it," Aviva said, using her air powers to set things up quickly. "The show must go on!"

Koki looked around to see that Jimmy wasn't there.

JZ whispered his plan to the Kratt bros. He felt he needed their help. It he didn't do that now, he wouldn't have another chance.

Soon, the three of them showed up onthe stage, each one setting their instruemnts: Martin picked the drums, Chris picked up a bass and Jimmy, a normal guitar.

*Music - Show me the Way to Your Heart - Scott Grimes*

The Wild Kratts started playing their instruments, and Jimmy started playing his guitar.

"I dedicate this song... to the most precious thing of my life." Jimmy looked firmly at Koki, making her eyes glow.

As he sang, Koki started remembering some moments with Jimmy. Some were calm, others in desperate times... but they all were enjoyable.

As he finished singing, and the Wild Kratts were still playing, all the nymphs, gods, goddesses, apprentices and creatures started applauding. Koki climbed up the stage quickly to embrace Jimmy.

"Jimmy..." she said, with teary eyes. "You... really mean this?"

"I'm just following the music from my heart. And she's just for you," Jimmy admitted, holding his loved one firmly. "I love you, Koki Bambrick."

"I love you too, Jimmy." Koki's tears started falling as she and him shared their very first kiss. Aviva and the boys looked at the happy couple, as they were applauded by everyone.

* * *

"That's what I call _gran finale_!" Chione said, congratulating the team, as the festival ended and everyone was leaving. "Thanks for everything, Wild Kratts. And congratulations to the new couple."

Jimmy and Koki smiled at each other, holding hands. Now they were officially girlfriend and boyfriend.

"Thanks," the new couple said.

"Well, what do you know, koki? He DID feel the same." Bite-Size winked.

"Oh, Bite-Size... can I have your autograph? You're a great singer!" Chione asked.

"*giggle* Sure."

The crew laughed, happy for Bite-Size's success and for Koki and Jimmy's happiness, while the new couple shared another kiss.


	23. Episode 24: Butterfly Blues

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and things were calm in the Tortuga HQ. Maybe too calm…

The crew kept looking at the ceiling, with worried faces. Bite-Size, who was hunting bugs, after not being able to sleep, stopped by Koki's shoulder.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, guys. Where's Martin?" Laura asked, entering the HQ with Mina and Tania. "I wanna show him the dress I made for Mina."

Chris sighed. "He's on the Tortuga's shell."

"Well, I wonder what's he doing." Laura was going to the shell, until Chris stopped her.

"Wait," he said. "He'll be down in his own time, Laura."

"Why?"

"Oh, yeah... this day, not so long ago... Maxilla was gone," Mina remembered.

"Maxilla?" Laura asked, confused.

"Our monarch butterfly friend from the Voyage of the Butterflier XT expedition." Chris picked up the Wild Kratts Diary and opened it to a certain page.

* * *

 _"We decided to follow a monarch butterfly during all its migration. But first, we picked a monarch caterpillar to start the adventure. That caterpillar… was Maxilla._

 _After she entered her chrysalis mode, some days later, we saw her come out of it. And once she flew off, we followed her with Aviva's Butterflier XT._

 _Martin liked Maxilla from the moment he named her. He eventually started to get worried about her, wanting to be by her side to protect her from the possible dangers from the journey._

 _Things got worse, when Donita started to follow us, wanting all the monarchs for some new fashion statement, as you can expect._

 _Although I kept warning Martin about Maxilla having "nature's know-how", he cared and feared for her anyway._

 _By the time we reached the butterflies' colony and hibernated with them, Donita got them all under our noses. Except of course, for Maxilla._

 _With her help, we activated our new monarch butterfly suits, and went to the rescue._

 _But then, Maxilla stopped to lay an egg._

 _"Maxilla! Wake up! Are you okay? WAKE UP!" Martin asked, desperately, as he saw his friend laying down._

 _When I found out she was dying, Martin…*sigh* got heartbroken._

 _"No, Maxilla... don't! You can't do that..."_

 _He knew a butterfly life is short... but by the way he cared about her... it really hurt him to see his friend die."_

* * *

"Oh, dear..." Tania felt bad about Martin.

"Eventually, we stopped Donita, and helped the new generation of butterflies, including Maxilla Jr., to return home. But Martin insisted to give Maxilla... a proper funeral."

* * *

 _"He was devastated. We buried Maxilla's body in the same place we met her._

 _"Are you coming, bro?"_

 _"Not now... I think I'll stay here for a while."_

 _"Take your time, MK," Aviva said, trying to comfort him._

 _We all entered the Tortuga, and Martin stayed there... quiet and sad."_

* * *

"I never saw Martin so sad..." Koki said. "Like Chris said, once Martin names a creature, he starts caring about it."

"He has plenty of care to share with many people and animals out there," Chris added. "I feel bad about seeing him like that..."

"Sometimes, he sighs when he see a butterfly," Mina thought. "I didn't know why until I read about the Butterflier XT expedition."

"Poor Martin... I wish we could do something..." Laura thought.

"Uh, guys? Martin's gone," Jimmy warned, after climbing on the shell to get some papers.

"WHAT?!" They all came up, to see Martin really was not there.

Chris found a note from his brother, and sighed. "I know where he is."

* * *

Not too far from HQ was the same milkweed field where the team met Maxilla. The Water Guardian had seated on the ground with his legs pulled up to him in front a small tombstone.

"Hey, Maxilla. Sorry I didn't visit you often. But boy, I have lots of things to tell."

"We should do something to make him feel better." Mina observed her big brother.

Chris looked at the diary, and had an idea.

"I know! Why don't we do this mission again? Sometimes when someone pass through something bad or have some kind of fear, he has to face it again to finally overcome it."

"Why don't we lead the mission this time, and you guys stay here monitoring everything?" Aviva suggested.

"Thanks, Viva. I'll tell Martin," Chris said.

"And we'll find a monarch caterpillar!" Mina said.

* * *

Zach woke up with pain in his back.

"Ouch! Zach's back hurts! This couch is undeniably uncomfortable!"

The Zachbots observed as he moaned of pain.

"Zachbots! I need something comfortable! NOW!" Zach suddenly saw a monarch caterpillar crawling on a plant.

"AAAACK! A worm! Get it away from me!"

The Zachbots grabbed the caterpillar, but by "getting away", they understood "putting somewhere else". So they placed it on a plant at the building's opening.

* * *

"Colombina's coming out of her chrysalis, guys!" Mina warned.

The crew reunited around the milkweed vase Mina observed. It was true, Colombina, the caterpillar they chose, was already coming out. Martin sighed, but gave it a weak smile.

"And the new and improved Butterflier XT is ready for action!" Aviva said.

"And so are us!" Koki said. "Miniturize!"

A monarch butterfly entered the HQ, like it was calling Colombina. Once it landed, Martin placed a tag on it. "Number 7. Um... Maxeen?"

"I'm fine with it," Mina said. Then, she placed another tag on Colombina's wing. "And Colombina here's the number 16."

"Let's try tagging the maximum of butterflies during the migration, so we'll be sure nothing bad happens to them," Martin suggested.

"That's okay with me," Aviva said.

"Okay! To the Butterflier, girls! Mission Monarch 2 ready to start," Chris announced. "Ready to countdown."

As Chris relayed the countdown, the girls climbed on the Butterflier, ready to leave.

"5... 4... 3... 2... 1!" The monarchs started to fly, being followed by the girls in the Butterflier.

"Bon voyage!" Chris said.

"Sayonara!" Jimmy said.

"Good luck..." Martin said in a low tone.

* * *

Zach yawned. "Ten nights of bad sleep is too much for Zach to handle..." The caterpillar came out of its chrysalis, turned into a monarch butterfly. Zach shrieked as he saw the butterfly, making the Zachbots run after it. But as it stopped for a moment on the couch, Zach had another monstuous idea.

"Hmm...these vermins are so light...If I could get many of them, I could make a perfect couch! No more pains for Zach Varmitech!" He laguhed evilly.

* * *

"You're already better as a pilot than Chris, Koki!" Aviva complimented, as Koki drove the Butteflier.

"Well, you made this a lot easier. I love this new monitor. I can easily pilot and be warned about problems around the Butterflier." Koki said. Then, she saw a bird on the radar. "Like that!"

"Hang on, little sister!" Aviva told Mina. She immediatly held tightly on her seat. Koki flipped the Butterflier, leaving the bird behind. Mina lost her grip and would've fell, if it wasn't for Aviva's hand.

"Phew. Thanks, big sis." Mina breathed heavily on her sister's lap. That was scary.

"Better keep her close, Viva," Koki told her.

Suddenly, they saw the rest of the monarch butterflies. "Time to tag the maximum we can. Thank goodness I programmed an mechanic arm on this Butterlflier."

Koki pressed a button, and without the butterflies noticing, placed a tag on each one's wing.

"These tags are pretty light. And since these are more sticker-like, they'll not hurt the creatures. You're a genius, Viva."

"Say something I don't know," Aviva said, making Mina chuckle.

At the Tortuga, the boys received the signals on the monitor.

"They're doing great. We now have the monarchs on our watch. But let's not forget about the girls, Colombina and Maxeen," Chris said.

"I'll try," Martin sighed, observing the girls on the screen.

"Uh-oh. Low energy levels. We need to refill the tanks," Koki pointed out.

"Look! We can refill on those flowers!" Aviva said. Koki nodded in approval, and landed close to them.

* * *

"Day 3 of Mission Monarch 2. The girls are refilling. They're already doing better than us," Chris relayed, as Jimmy filmed everything.

"*soft chuckle* Way better. I remember that we fell once we saw the tank was empty," Martin commented, his spirit lifted a bit at the memory.

"Well, that Butterflier was way hard to pilot. But Aviva made some good improvments on this model."

* * *

"Filling up your tank, Maxeen? So are we," Mina said, experimenting the nectar. "Hmmm... sweet... Now I see why bees, butterflies and other animals like this."

"There's Colombina. Just in time, buddy. Tank filled," Koki warned.

"Okay. Let's get going," Aviva said, with Mina following her. When Maxeen started flying and following Colombina, the girls followed both of them.

* * *

"Mission Monarch 2 going as planned. The girls are now flying over the ocean, following the tagged monarchs," Chris said. Martin kept watching the girls on the screen.

Meanwhile, the girls faced some hard weather on the way.

"This wind is getting strong!" Koki complained, struggling to keep the Butterflier steady.

"We need to stop somewhere!"

"There, on the boat! The other monarchs have landed," Mina pointed out. Koki steered the Butterflier down and they landed on the bars in between Colombina and Maxeen.

"This boat looks extremely familiar," Aviva said. "From all this grey, you would think it's-"

"There!" a familiar voice yelled.

"Uh oh," the girls stated.

"Catch those butterflies!" Zachbots came at them with butterfly nets.

"Zach attack!" Koki shouted. "Let's get outta here!" All the butterflies, including Maxeen, Colombina and the girls took off.

"Get those monarchs! I want them all!" Zach said, until the Zachbots bumped into him. "*grunt* I gotta improve these robots' intelligence."

"What would Zach want with the monarchs?!" Aviva wondered.

"Don't worry, girls. We'll keep an eye on Zach." Bite-Size appeared on the screen.

"That was a close one!" Chris exclaimed.

"Yeah... too close..." Martin said, with a gloomy tone. The brunette noticed he wasn't at the monitor. Chris sighed, and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, as they watched the change of color on the leaves outside.

* * *

"Well, looks like the rest of the journey will be smooth sailing now," Koki said, as Maxeen got out of a spider web.

"Luckily, monarchs are poisonous. So I guess spiders won't make the same mistake twice."

"Look! A Wild Kratts Kid is waving to us! Hi, guys!" Mina waved.

"*giggle* Silly, we're really tiny. They won't know we're here. Unless maybe the boys warned them about our journey," Aviva thought.

"You got that right, Aviva. We warned the Wild Kratts Kids about Mission Monarch 2, and they're trying to take a look of the monarchs," Chris said on the screen.

"How's Martin?" Mina asked.

"Um... about that..."

The Kratt in blue was outside the Tortuga, sighing.

"Martin, aren't you supposed to keeping track of the monarchs?" Bite-Size asked.

"Ugh! I can't! I can't stand seeing that again, guys!" Martin confessed, as he entered the Tortuga. "Think about Mina. She's just a kid. Maybe she'll also get..."

"Silly, she already knows about death. Seeing the full monarch butterfly life cycle will not traumatize her," Chris said.

"At least we're not the ones that die so fast!" Jimmy stated. Martin felt like crying again with those words, and left the room crying. Chris glared at the redhead.

"You had to say that?!" he scolded.

"Sorry."

"*grunt* Well, back to the girls. Looks like they're really close now. Only some more meters, and they'll reach Mexico."

"Mexico, huh?" Zach was intercepting their signal, without any of them noticing. "So that's where we'll head now, Zachbots!" His ship turned around to go to Mexico.

* * *

"Here we are, girls," Aviva said, with a tone of wonder.

"Wow... beautiful." Koki observed the butterflies around her. "The secret hideout of the monarch butterflies."

"It's wonderful... like an autumn afternoon," Mina commented, as the Butterflier landed close to Colombina and Maxeen. "My sister always used to bring me autumn leaves. One as beautiful as the other."

"Nice work, monarchs," Aviva said, as she started yawning.

"Looks like it's hibernation time for them... and so for you girls," Chris said, calling the girls.

Koki pointed down to Aviva's lap: Mina was deep asleep. Her snores sound like a cheetah chirp.

"How's everything, boys?"

"All okay, expect one thing JZ said to Martin these days..." Chris said.

"I said I was sorry!" Jimmy complained.

"Nevermind that. Winter season has arrived here, girls," Chris informed them, only to not see them in the Butterflier. "Girls?"

"*yawn* And now it's hibernation time," Koki said. "What a journey... this girl here needs to catch some Z's... but I'll call you later, boys..." She fell asleep, hugging Aviva and Mina, under a warm butterfly wing.

"Well, now we only have to wait four months. We know they won't be sleeping forever, so we can call them time to time," Chris said.

Martin sighed. "These will be long months..."

* * *

*BG music: Queen - Another One Bites the Dust*

While the girls watched over the monarchs, the boys kept alert for any problems. Well, mostly Chris and Jimmy. Martin still felt reluctant about monitoring the monarchs, fearing to suffer the same pain he felt on the first Butterflier Adventure.

Meanwhile, Zach grunted in anger, as he reached every single place, except for Mexico.

"Now I know how Donita felt..." he grunted at the last wrong turn.

The last week approached. The girls even celebrated Koki's birthday during the hibernation.

* * *

On the last day of hibernation, Zach arrived.

"Finally! Get all the butterflies you can, Zachbots!" Zach ordered. The girls were deep asleep, with Colombina and Maxeen close to them.

Aviva didn't seemed to notice the Zachbots passing by, and slicing a part of the branch with Maxeen.

But once she heard Zach's evil cackle, she woke up.

"Hey, s-stop!" she said, with her eyes bare opened.

"Don't touch them... wait. Who are you talking to?" Koki asked, also waking up.

"Sorry, had a bad dream. That Zach came here and..."

"Took the monarchs with him!" Mina warned them, pointing out to the cut branches. Aviva realized it wasn't a dream. IT HAPPENED!

"Oh, no!" Koki rushed to the Butterflier. "Martin, come in Martin!" Koki called. Problem was, the blue brother wasn't present. "Martin?" Martin came out of another room. He looked a little better than before.

"Oh, be right there Koki," he said, heading to her station. He hit a button that would show the transmitting tags. The Water Guardian gasped when he saw several of them at once disappear. "Oh no!"

"What's the matter, Martin?" Chris asked.

"Several of the butterfly tags have gone out! They've just disappeared!"

"Is Tag Number 16 - Colombina - one of the missing butterflies?" Jimmy asked him in worry.

"No, but Maxeen, Number 7, is!"

"Martin, Zach's the one that took the butterflies!" Aviva called on her Creature Pod. "I don't know what he's planning, but we gotta do something!"

Martin couldn't hold his sobbing. "I'm so sorry, girls! This is all my fault! I was so upset about Maxilla being a goner I forgot to monitor you guys! And now, Zach's gonna make something with the monarchs!"

"Not if we can stop him!" Aviva said. "Don't worry, MK."

"Great! Thanks, buddy!" They all looked at Mina, who was talking with Colombina. "She said she'll help us free her friends, then she'll lay her egg."

"We gotta act fast then! We got to save Maxeen and the other monarchs!" Koki proclaimed. "Can you guys teleport the monarch suits?"

"On it!" Martin said, wiping his eyes and picking up the disks. "I'm not failing the monarchs again! Send 'em, JZ!"

"Energize!" Jimmy said.

Koki and Aviva received both suits, and Mina climbed on Colombina's back.

"Caterpillar?" Aviva said, as she activated, and reactivated. "That's more like it. I thought I fixed this a long time ago. Koki?" Koki came out of her chrysalis, with wings.

"To the monarch rescue!" the girls cheered.

* * *

"Now, let's see if these mini-mind control helmets work," Zach said, finishing building the tiny mind-controlling helmets. His plane was landed not so far from the butterflies' place.

As he turned around he gasped. The butterflies were all laying down in the giant glass.

"No! Keep floating, you winged thingies! I need you to be alive!"

"Let the butterflies go, Zach!" Aviva's voice was heard. Then, he heard the Miniturizer sound. The butterflier, along with Aviva and Koki, got big.

"They need to fulfill their life cycle!" Koki said.

"Oh, and what are two overgrown bugs like you gonna do about it?"

"Milkweeds, anyone?" Mina asked, on Colombina's back, calling the monarchs' attention. Then, she struggled to open the glass door with her powers. All that hibernation made her a bit rusty, but also gave her some more strength.

"Go lay your eggs, monarchs!"

"No! My butterflies! My couch!" Zach said.

"Butterfly couch?!" Koki asked, enraged.

"Are you nuts!?" Aviva shouted. Just then, Maxeen landed on Zach's nose. When he saw her there, he shrieked, running away, as the girls and their butterfly friends flew away from there, putting the Butterflier on autopilot.

Just by that instant, the boys landed the Tortuga. "Nice work, girls," Chris said, as they all saw Zach's plane go away.

"Guys... look," Martin said.

Colombina and Maxeen finally laid their eggs, on the milkweeds where they came out of their chrysalis. Martin watched everything, until he saw one of them lay down.

"Maxeen!" Martin carefully picked up the dying butterfly. Tears came to his eyes. The monarch looked up at him.

"M-Martin..." she called weakly. "All living things... don't live forever... so one must do... what they have to do... in their time... or it's... too late..." The butterfly seemed to nudge his thumb with her head. "I understand that it's hard... to lose someone close... and live with it... but that's life... you can't change that..."

"Maxeen..."

"Just don't let despair... take over your life... because you still have it..." With that last statement, her whole body went limp.

Martin though he would burst into tears, but instead… he felt weirdly relieved. "I don't get it… I thought I would be sad, but… I'm not..." Chris put a hand on his shoulder.

"What Maxeen said is true. All creatures and plants have to end at some point. It's how nature designed us. And nothing can be done about it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Martin smiled, feeling better.

Hermia appeared to them. Both were a bit surprised.

"I am really proud of you all. You saved the butterfliers' life cycle, and didn't keep them from doing it."

"Yeah... it was hard, but I feel better," Martin said. "Sorry, guys. I promise I'll never let this happen again."

"Well, looks like we have now two new butterflies coming," Mina said, pointing to the mikweeds: there were two buttefly eggs.

* * *

The Tortuga's door opened, with two butteflies in Mina's hands. Chris gave Martin a card. Once Martin opened it, there was a paper butterfly. He smiled to his little brother.

"Bye, Pietra. Bye, Kia. Go follow your mothers' steps," Mina said, as she let the butterflies go.

Then, a butterfly approached the Wild Kratts. Mina gasped. "She said.. her name's Maxilla! Just like the first Maxilla from its past generations."

"Heredity between butterflies? Now that's new," Chris said.

"She wanted to thank us all for helping her mother, and her grandmother... our Maxilla."

"It was nothing, Maxilla. Really," Martin said, smiling. He had finally overcome the first Maxilla's death, and felt a lot better.

"There they go... returning home. Migrating back to its home..." Aviva said.

"...following their nature's know-how..." Martin said, lifting Mina.

"...living free and in the wild," Chris concluded, as they all waved to the butteflies, as the sun set.


	24. Episode 25: Mr and Mrs Corcovado

The Wild Kratts were visiting Ares' temple, guided by Hermia.

"We're getting close to the training room of Ares' apprentices," she announced.

"Can someone remind why we're here?" Jimmy whispered to Koki, a little scared by all the weapons and knight armours that were lined up against the walls.

"Aw come on, sugarcube. We're here to see Ares, and see if we can find the Nature Guardians' last weapon," Koki said. "Martin, Chris, you and me have them in our medallions, but Aviva is the only one that doesn't."

"But isn't Ares' place the most obvious place to look for such a weapon? And also, why does his place have to be so creepy?"

"He's the God of War, Jimmy," Chris explained. "So it's natural that he'd have so many weapons."

"And if anyone has a weapon meant for a Nature Guardian, it's the God of War himself," Martin added.

"And I heard from Luna that he's asking for girl weapons for his new apprentices," Aviva said. "Hephaestus's working like crazy in his factory."

"By the time he's done, I get the feeling that he's going to take a long vacation," the blue Kratt joked.

"We are here, Guardians," Hermia informed them. They stood before a huge wooden door locked with iron. With one push, the door opened.

People from all ages were dueling against rock warriors. One knocked out his oponent easily and was applauded.

Jimmy hid behind Koki and gulped in fear. "This is what they do in here?" he asked.

"Of course, Jimmy," the Earth Guardian replied. "What did you expect from apprentices of Ares?"

"Wow! Check out that sword!" Martin pointed to one of the apprentices' weapon. "It looks just like my Guardian Sword." He held his medallion, activating his sword.

Upon hearing the summoning, one apprentice glanced over his shoulder. At seeing Hermia and the Nature Guardians, he fully turned around. "Lady Hermia and the Guardians have come!" the apprentice announced. The golems disappeared as every soldier looked towards the door. They all turned to them and got on one knee to bow in respect.

"Geez… uh, hi." Chris waved, not knowing what to do.

Aviva saw an arrow coming on her direction and ducked.

"Oh, my. I'm really sorry. My bow has something wrong," she heard a male Latin voice.

When she looked up, her body shot straight up. Standing before her was the most charming man she ever laid eyes on. His skin was perfectly tanned and he was fairly muscular. He wore brick red armor on his well toned chest and his arms with a white toga and Roman sandals. He had shoulder length hair that was dark like hers and even the same eye color.

"Um... no, no, it's okay." Aviva cleared her throat, then giggled a little.

"Hm… you have the most beautiful voice I ever heard." He looked at her.

"Gracias. I'm Aviva." She extended her hand to compliment him.

"Ryan, but mi amigos call me Cyrano," he said.

The apprentice got on one knee as he accepted her hand and lightly kissed it. The whole crew's eyes went wide and Aviva just stood there blushing. Chris then began glaring at Cyrano, balling his hands into tight fists and his teeth clenching together. "It is an honor meeting you, Air Guardian Aviva. And your name describes you perfectly. As beautiful as the days of Spring." No one noticed Chris exiting the room so he can growl in anger in the hall, eyes clenched closed.

'If I ever get my hands on that guy, I'm gonna strangle him with my vines!' he shouted in his mind. For a while, he had sort of a crush on Aviva, but he never showed it since he wanted to see if she felt the same way. Just to be on the safe side before he asks her out.

"M-muchas gracias."

"So, Aviva, I leave my training in an hour. Wanna hang out?"

"SI! I mean, yes, sure," she answered. Chris buried his face in his green shirt, then growled in more frustration. Martin just observed. He sure knew what was going on. The elder brother knew about Chris's secret and could tell that the green Kratt was overly jealous. Chris took a few deep breaths and came back into the room.

"Um, aren't we forgetting what we came here for?" he purposely interrupted them, getting between them. Aviva narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can't it wait, Chris?" she asked him, obviously a little annoyed with his action.

"No," the brunette deadpanned. "We came to ask Ares about your Guardian Weapon, not so a mere apprentice you just met can ask you out."

"Speaking of Master Ares, he should be here in a bit," one apprentice said. As if on cue, a man as tall as Martin entered. He was more muscular than any of his apprentices and had on a Roman war helmet. All he wore was a white toga, thick gauntlets and Roman sandals.

"Welcome, Guardians, to my temple," Ares greeted. "Follow me to the weapons room."

They all followed him, even Chris, who was looking straight at Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes with Aviva.

"Something tells me things are not gonna end well..." Koki whispered to Jimmy. Both had noticed their younger leader's behaviour when Cyrano started talking to Aviva and immediately got the hint.

* * *

Back on the Tortuga, Mina and Bite-Size greeted them all.

"Welcome home, bros," Mina said, hugging Martin and Chris. "Where are you going, Aviva?" She saw her big sister enter her room.

"I'll tell ya in a moment," she answered.

"Oh… um, okay..." Mina didn't know what to do. She then saw the glare on Chris's face when he looked at the guest.

"Leave him to me, Mina," Martin whispered. Aviva came out of her room. Cyrano had gotten dressed in casual, modern clothes.

"Well, Ares may haven't found the right weapon for me, but still something good happened to day, little sister… I met Cyrano. And we're going for a walk around town," she told Mina. "So you guys don't wait for me for dinner. Adios!" She said, as she and Cyrano walked to the city.

Mina noticed Chris glaring daggers at Ares' apprentice as he and his now-not-so secret crush left.

"Uh Chris, are you okay?" she asked her brother.

"I'll be right back," was his response before leaving too, but instead heading to a couple of boulders nearby. Activating his medallion, he angrily made vines grow and squeeze the giant rocks until they completely crumbled. Chris took in some deep breaths, obviously still pretty furious about the day's events.

Martin patted gently his little brother's shoulder, calming him down.

"Shh, that's right... let it go, bro... let it go," he said.

Chris heavily sighed.

Koki approached them, seeing that Chris was already calm. "You know… usually Aviva don't get that crazy about boys or dates," she admitted. "I know her since we were roommates… and I think she only fell for him because he looks like her. Something like a... "Narcissus complex or somethin' like this"."

"Oh, we'll see who's the better man tomorrow," the Earth Guardian said before returning to the Tortuga, his brother and Koki following behind.

Jimmy didn't get it. "Uh… who's Narcissus?"

* * *

"Oh, it was great! He took me first to the theater, then we went for dinner, and then we spent the rest of the night admiring the ducks and commentings about their abilities," Aviva told excitedly about her first date… for the tenth time.

Martin and Koki were as annoyed as Chris, but not exactly jealous. "Geez, won't she ever shut up about it?" Koki complained.

Speaking of Chris, he was trying to read a journal written by an old explorer from back then. However, he only crumpled the pages in his clenching hands whenever Aviva talked about her date. A knock came on the Tortuga door. Aviva shot out of her seat in joy and Chris narrowed his hazel eyes before standing up.

"I'll get it," he said, not wanting his crush anywhere near that so-called apprentice.

"Hola, Vivita!" It was Cyrano again. "I just came to say our date yesterday..."

"WAS WAY BEYOND AMAZING! WE KNOW!" Martin and Koki shouted, covering their ears and leaving their room.

"What's with them?" Cyrano asked.

"Possibly just jealous of me!" Aviva said it out-loud. Chris grunted, and Mina gasped. Something changed in her big sister.

* * *

"That rotten Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes," Chris growled as he paced outside the Tortuga. "What's so great about him that I don't have?"

"Bro, calm down," Martin tried to assure him. "Pacing and saying things under your breath isn't going to help."

"But Aviva is turnin into a pain in the patootie," Koki commented.

"I say, there IS something weird about that guy," Bite-Size said. "I just feel it."

"Me too," Mina admitted. "There's something... dark under that face. And I think it's influencing Aviva's behavior. We need to look in on him."

"That's what we got to do!" Chris proclaimed, stopping his pacing and punching a fist into his hand. "Expose that so-called apprentice of his true intentions to Aviva so that she sees that he's possibly using her to get whatever he wants!"

"Take it easy Chris. It's not going to be that simple."

"Yes, I know. We'll have to spy on him."

"I guess we need a "special agent" for this case..." the brown bat concluded.

* * *

"And then we used the Octopod to dive into the ocean and find the Creature Power Suits. And Chris seemed too obsessed in finding new species of creatures..." Aviva told Cyrano, while they walked.

"That's pretty selfish of him," he commented. In a nearby bush, the mom raccoon from the Masked Bandits adventure was listening in on them. An earpiece was attached to her ear.

"ME?! Selfish?! Who does he think he is?!" Chris was heard shouting on the other end.

"Chris, you're yelling into the mic," Jimmy informed him.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Okay, Momma Raccoon," Bite-Size said. "Just stay on their tail and make sure to get in on anything Cyrano says."

"Roger that, Bite-Size," Momma Raccoon responded.

* * *

*BG music: Hall and Oates - Private Eyes*

Momma Raccoon kept following the two during all night, hearing every single thing Cyrano said. Aviva just kept sighing by his side, which was enough for Chris to growl and break some more rocks around him with his vines.

"It has been fun, Aviva," Cyrano said. "I gotta say I never met someone like you."

"And I never met anyone like you, mi amor," she commented back before stepping in to the Tortuga. "Will I see you again tomorrow?" Cyrano took her hand and got on one knee.

"I look forward to it, my springflower." With that, he kissed her hand, making her giggle. Spying from the front deck, Chris was glaring at Cyrano again before his medallion involuntarily activated. Instantly, the apprentice found himself constricted in green vines.

"What in Zeus's name?!" he shouted. Aviva stood shocked, but then gave an angry look, knowing who was responsible for this. Chris only stood there, stunned at what he unconsciously did.

"CHRISTOPHER!" the inventor screeched. The whole crew had covered their ears. Cyrano would've too if his hands weren't wrapped in vines.

"What in the name of Hermia are you guys doing?" Aviva scolded them.

"Trying to prove you're wrong, Aviva! That what you're feeling isn't true love!" Koki said. "We all agree that the only reason you like him is because he looks like you!"

"And what do you know about love? What any of you know about this? I'm a genius! I know everything! If you were my friends, you would support me!" Aviva shouted angrily.

"If you haven't noticed, Jimmy and I are a couple now!" her best friend snapped. "Our feelings for each other are real!"

"And you're not a god, Aviva!" Chris added. "Only they know everything! And we also know more than you think! We're trying to help you!"

"By what, Christopher?!" Aviva yelled at him. "Strangling Cyrano with your magic?!" Growing impatient with her, the green Kratt grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, that was actually unintentional!"

"Let go of me, you Wild Rat!" With that, she slapped him with the back of her free hand, freeing her and sending him into the table in the center. The entire crew gasped at her rash action and rushed over to Chris. Aviva stood there, taking in what she just did and now looked guilty. She just slapped her close friend and even called him "Wild Rat", like Zach does. And the moment her hand hit his face, she could've sworn she heard something break upon impact.

Chris looked up at her. Aviva didn't know why, but the expression on his face made something break in her. His usually spiky hair had flattened and his bright eyes only showed hurt... and maybe even heartbreak. "Ch-... Chris, I-" she started, but didn't finish before he got up and ran out of the room. Something wet splashed onto her face and when she felt it, it was warm. A tear. From Chris.

Bite-Size and Mina stared, disappointed and worried for Aviva. The adults had hateful glares on her. "Nice work, Corcovado," Jimmy said sarcastically. Everyone then went off doing separate things, Jimmy heading to his station to polish his controller, Koki going to her monitors with Bite-Size following and the two present Kratts left to calm down their upset sibling. Aviva just stood in place, thinking over her behavior since she met Cyrano. She realized that she had really changed since then and the crew didn't like it. And Chris... his reaction there... Could he possibly...?

Suddenly, Martin and Mina came sprinting into the control room, bringing everyone's focus on them. The siblings seemed panicked as they breathed in deep. "What happened?" Koki asked.

"It's... it's Chris..." Mina breathed.

"He's gone!" Martin finished for her.

* * *

Chris sobbed silently, sitting close to the park's lake. Some tears fell in the water, calling the frogs' attention.

One certain bull frog stood out from the others. It was bigger than the others. Chris tried giving the frog a small smile as he picked it up with one hand.

"Hey Tuba," he said to the frog. "How's it going?" The younger brother activated his medallion.

"Forget about me," the amphibian said, his voice naturally deep like any bull frog's would. "What's the matter?" The frown some seconds ago returned as more tears fell to the water's surface.

"I lost my chance with someone. She met this guy she instantly liked for no real reason. When we tried telling her that that's not what love is, she..." Chris brought his free hand to his still sore cheek.

"I see. The man was changing her. Turning her into something she's not. Am I right?"

"Exactly. But she wouldn't listen to any of us." Unknowing to either them or the others, Chris was unconsciously creating more vines, but these weren't the luscious green vines with little leaves. They were more like dark brown branches with thorns, representing his sorrow. "I no longer know what to do." Suddenly, the dark silhouette of a cloud hid the moon above. It was fairly big, hiding the entire lake under a shadow. But when both man and frogs looked up, it was no ordinary cloud. It was completely black... and moving!

"What kind of cloud is that?!" Tuba asked, a mix of shock and anger in his tone.

"It's no cloud you ever want to see!" Chris told him, his tears now stopping. "Quick! Every frog to the water!" All the frogs, including Tuba, hurried hopped back into the lake. The green Kratt got ready for a sudden attack. But then, someone ambushed him behind, locking his arms off. "Hey! Let me go!"

"I'll let you go, Earth Guardian," his attacker said. His voice was easily recognizable. "Once you become one of us!" The collection of dark magic then came diving down. Cyrano gave out an evil laugh, which echoed throughout the park.

* * *

"What do you mean 'He's gone'?!" Jimmy asked.

"The window in our bedroom was open," Martin told him. "I think he ran off!"

"This is all my fault!" Aviva admitted, putting a hand to her face to hide her tear welling eyes. She didn't understand why she was feeling this way. It wasn't like friend guilt, it was something else. "I should've never called him a Wild Rat or slapped him!" Suddenly, Mina screamed in pain, gripping the sides of her head.

"Mina, what's wrong?"

"Chris... he's in trouble," the nymph said with some effort. "Darkness... his weakened heart can't fight it... taking... over..."

"WHAT?!" Martin gasped. "Let's go after him. NOW!" With that, the remaining members of the crew left to find him. When they reached the lake, there was nothing abnormal about it.

"What's going on?" someone asked. Aviva looked and saw Cyrano running up to them.

"Chris ran away! We need to find him!" Aviva explained.

"I'm not going to rescue someone who nearly suffocated me."

"Cyrano, please! You gotta help us!" Aviva begged.

"So he can continue to bother us with his dumb antics?" Cyrano told Aviva.

"Listen, I know I said terrible things about them all, but it doesn't mean it's true," Aviva told him. "I don't believe in any of those things. I simply said it because I was upset, and we all say dumb things when we are upset."

"And calling me 'Wild Rat' and a slap in the face was an act of 'being upset'?" a dark, distorted voice echoed. It was barely recognizable. Chris then jumped down from a nearby tree. But when he hit the ground, thorny briers started growing around the park, barricading everyone in. The team gasped at their younger leader, whose sclera had turned black and his pupils white. Also, his medallion was no longer green, but black.

"Chris?!" they all said in unison. Cyrano smirked at this and joined the corrupted brother's side.

"But... I thought Guardians couldn't be corrupted!" Koki said.

"Anyone can be corrupted by darkness...if their hope is small," Mina said.

"Cyrano… why?"

"You're so silly, Aviva. Only focusing on looks, not caring about finding out the truth..." Cyrano stared at her. "In a short time, my master's cloud will absorb all his power, and he'll be nothing but a weakling again." Aviva glared at him, which surprised her on the inside. She thought she would've been heartbroken, but instead she was mad. Not for betraying her, but mainly for what he said about Chris.

"Chris was never a weakling! And he never will!" Cyrano only laughed at this.

"Says the one that broke his heart! It was all part of the plan! Hang out with you long enough for you to be blinded by a false love in order for a possible lover that was a Guardian to finally break! I thank you for that, Air Guardian."

Aviva was shocked by this. Chris loved her? Guess that would explain why he was so against the apprentice. Now that she thought about it, Chris had been more protective of her lately. And she thought about her own interactions with him, even if she hadn't realized them at first. She had been getting closer to him whenever both were in the Tortuga and once even had the strange urge to hold his hand. The Air Guardian finally realized her true feelings. She wasn't in love with Cyrano and never was. It was really Chris.

Then, she thought about what she did. After all of her attitudes… probably Chris would take a long time to forgive her. And not only him, but the whole team as well.

"You were right all along. I was blinded by my stupid vanity, and I'm really sorry," Aviva lamented, approaching Chris. "I did awful things, but it's just how I am. I know you won't love me as much as you used to again, but… can you ever forgive me? Can any of you ever forgive me for my stupid actions?" She looked at the team. Surprisingly, they all smiled to her.

"Our Aviva's back," Koki said.

Aviva smiled and turned back to the one she really liked. However, she only found an arrow aimed at her throat by Cyrano. Before the team could move, he shouted, "Not another step, or one of your Nature Guardians will get it in the neck!" They all froze, but glared at him. Then to everyone's surprise, a brown vine with a few thorns grabbed the arrow and snapped it in half. "WHAT?!" Another vine, only thicker and with a green tint, grabbed the traitor and threw him into the lake. Everyone saw Chris, even though he was still corrupted, stand in front of Aviva protectively.

"Don't... you... hurt her..." he growled at him. Mina could tell that his heart was strengthening thanks to Aviva's apology, giving him more control. Cyrano emerged from the pond with a frog on his head.

"That's impossible!" he exclaimed. "The cloud should be in complete control of him! What with his darkened heart!" The frog then hopped off.

"The only one with a dark heart tonight is you, Cyrano!" Aviva yelled, activating her medallion. With all her might, she conjured up a twister that picked him up and took him away, him screaming as he was blown away.

Chris looked at Aviva, his medallion faintly glowing green and tears threatening to fall from his darkened eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry," he said softly to her.

"It's me who needs to be sorry," she told him. "I was the foolish one. Not seeing my true feelings before it was almost too late." She pulled him into an embrace, surprising him even in his current state. A few tears finally slid down his cheeks as he lightly smiled, taking her into his arms.

With his heart mended, the darkness lifted from Chris. As it disappeared, so did the briers and Chris's medallion went back to its green glow.

* * *

It was almost morning when Aviva woke up earlier than everybody, and saw Chris sitting on the Tortuga's shell.

"Hey," Aviva said softly.

"Hey," Chris said.

"Listen, I've been thinking about what happened yesterday," she started. "I guess that was a signal... that I'm not ready for love yet."

Chris looked at her, with an understanding look.

"I mean, I only based myself on the looks, and didn't cared a bit about knowing him better. I… guess I don't understand love as much as I thought."

"I hear ya, Viva," Chris said. "I also thought things were going to be easy... I mean, we have a lot in common, like interest in creatures and tecnology, but… I guess that's not what defines love at all. Maybe… I'm also not ready."

Both looked at each other. Even though they were not ready to love YET, they still liked each other as friends.

"So… we're okay as "just friends"?" Aviva asked.

"Sure," Chris guaranteed. "And you know what I think? Any guy that ends up with you is pretty lucky."

"And I'm also sure you'll find your match as well, amigo." Aviva kissed his cheek.

* * *

"You've failed me!" The statue hollered at Cyrano, who was kneeling with his head low. "I gave you control over my magic and this is how you repay me!" He looked up at her in fear.

"His power would've been yours if she hadn't interfered!" he cried. "I almost had him!"

"Almost! Not 'definitely'! Even if the leaders are taken out, the other members still pose as a threat!"

"Please! Just give me another chance!"

"The deal is off!" A cloud of darkness came down on Cyrano.

"NOOOO!" he screamed. When the darkness dispersed, only his armor was left.

"Just wait, Guardians. Your days of peace are running few." The statue's eyes flashed.


	25. Episode 26: Chris-tal Clear

Chris silently hiked up the base of the Appalachian Mountains. He couldn't fall back asleep because of something nagging in his body. The sun hadn't even rosen up over the mountain range of North America's eastern coast. The green Kratt had his medallion in his bag just in case he ran into trouble.

After a good fifteen minute walk, he sat down on a large rock. The Earth Guardian breathed in the fresh mountain air in peace with a smile of content. A strange sound made it to his ears. He looked around startled, but saw nothing. Chris looked down at the rock he's sitting on and was surprised to see... quartz forming around his hand.

"Woah," he said, obviously spooked a bit as he hops off. Approaching the big stone again, the younger Kratt Brother placed his hand on its surface. Instantly, small clear crystals outlined it and slowly began to grow. The brunette's eyes sparkled in amazement as a huge grin came onto his face.

"Awesome! I can make crystals! I wonder if I can do it with other things!" Picking up a stick nearby, he focused on it and the wood turned into emerald.

"Yes! It works on plants too! Not that I'll try it on living plants anyway." Nearby was a dead oak tree. Chris went up to it, ready to maximize his new power. Once he made sure no creatures lived in it though. Once he was done checking, he put both hands on the long trunk. Eyes squeezed shut in concentration, and the whole tree became all sorts of colors of different gems. The Kratt looked like a happy school boy as he looked proudly at his work.

"This is so amazing! I can't wait to show-" Suddenly, the whole tree started becoming black, like onyx black. Chris could only stare, obviously unsure at how it happened.

* * *

Martin yawned as he woke up before the sunrise. Mina snuggled closer to him when he sat up. The blonde smiled down at his little sister before looking over at Chris's hammock. But, his little brother wasn't there. His "sprigs" started twitching in the motion of crickets rub their legs together.

"That's a new one," he mused at this. "But where did Chris go?" Carefully, as to not wake the little nymph, Martin crawled out of his hammock and landed quietly on the ground. Instantly, the "sprigs" started "pulling" in a specific direction.

"Woah. Okay. I can see my hair wants me to go that way." He looked toward the mountain. Something began glittering near the mountain's base. The blue eyed brother stared in confusion for a bit.

"Huh. That wasn't there yesterday." The small hairs start rubbing against each other again. "All right. First, I'll find Chris. Then, I'll find out what this sense signal means." With that, the blue Kratt started heading up the mountain.

Along the middle of the way, he slipped on some ice that came out of nowhere, and stepped into a lake, but as he looked down, he saw the water's surface under his feet was frozen. He gasped at that, and then walked a little more to see more and more frozen floor with every little step.

"Wow!" Martin clapped his hands of excitement, but then, he felt them cold. By rubbing them, he saw that snowflakes were falling from them. Experimenting with even more excitement, he moved his hands on a circular motion, making a snowball. He threw the snow he formed to the sky, and made it snow all around him.

"*laugh* This is awesome! Wait till I tell Chris!" Martin skated across the lake to reach the mountain.

* * *

The black crystal showed Chris's reflection on the trunk. Looking closely, he saw a new image form. "Martin?" Suddenly, the image showed his brother being struck in the heart with a quartz stalagmite, the blonde then backing away holding his chest. The brunette gasped in horror. He slowly backed away, but a trail of quartz followed his feet. His heel got caught under a half exposed rock and he fell backwards. The moment his hands touched the dirt, it crystallized along with the grass in his range. Sitting up, he saw what he had caused and can only stare in shock.

* * *

Not far behind, Martin reached the mountain's base. "Chris!" he called. A few moments later, he heard a thump and the sound of something crackling from up ahead. The unsuspecting blonde smiled.

"Looks like someone's been out climbing a bit. Hey Chris!" The older brother started climbing after his little brother, creating some frost on the branches he was on and leaving a trail of snow as he went.

"Chris!" he heard his name. The tree climber gasped as he looks down the mountainside, picking out a bit of blue in the trees.

"Oh no," he mumbled in fear. "Martin." He got up, but the moment he touched the rock from earlier, it got completely covered in crystals.

"Hey Chris!" He's getting closer.

"No… no…" The brown eyed brother began backing away again, more quartz forming. "I don't want to hurt you. Stay away." His brother obviously didn't hear him since the sound of pounding steps were coming closer.

Chris looked up the mountain. He had no other choice. Ditching his bag, he sprinted higher up, crystals appearing behind him. But these jewels were different. They were much bigger and were spreading down the mountain.

* * *

"Dabio, it's rare to see big beautiful crystals appearing on a mountain, right?" Donita Donata questioned her henchman. She was currently looking down through her jet window, admiring the shimmering quartz.

"Uh, I think so," the dumb blonde answered.

"It's actually not very likely. They're hunormous! And look! More just popping out of the ground, right behind…" She took out a pair of binoculars to get better detail of the moving brown and green speck. Her eyes widened from behind the small end. "Chris-Angelo?" Putting the binoculars down, the fashion designer began to think.

"Hmm, so what Zach said was true." She looked at Chris from above again before an evil grin grew on her face. "And what luck that one can make gems out of nowhere. I believe I found a better way to get gems for my jewelry line without even mining for them." Then, she looked down to the mountain to see Martin climbing to meet Chris.

"Chris! Come on out!" Martin hollered. Then, he looked down to see all the snow he created along the way. The blonde jumped down for a closer look.

"This is so cool! I had no idea that being Water Guardian could also mean I can make snow and ice!" Suddenly, crystal spikes harpooned out of the ground. "What the?!" He didn't have enough time to stop before one pierced his chest. The blonde tried holding in his scream of pain, letting out a grunt instead as he staggered back, clutching his chest. Unknowing to him, the snow's surface became covered by a layer of ice upon impact.

Donita saw this was the perfect opportunity to convince Chris to work for her. "Land ahead of that Kratt Brother up the mountain, Dabio. I've found myself a living jewelry maker."

* * *

Taking in deep breaths to ease the pain, Martin stood straight again. He looked at the place he was hit... but there was no sign of any wound. Still... it hurt. He could tell that something was definitely wrong. Pulling out his Creature Pod, the blue Kratt called the crew.

"Tortuga! Come in!" After a couple of seconds, a tired Koki came on the small screen. The computer professional let out a tired yawn.

"Martin, why are you calling so early in the morning?" she questioned. Bambrick then took notice of the jewels in the background and the creature adventurer holding his chest. "Are those crystals dangerously close behind you? What even happened?"

"When I woke up, I noticed Chris missing so I went to look for him. Also, my Kratt Sense started going off, though I have no idea what this one means. As I was heading up the mountain, trying my awesome new ice powers that I just discovered, these crystals pop out of nowhere and I got hit."

"You've been hit?!"

"I'm okay, Koki. I still have to find Chris, but let the crew know that something weird is going on up here."

"We'll keep an eye on you just in case. I have a feeling that strike is not something to push aside."

"Okay Koki." Martin hung up. The blonde walked around the crystals, but was surprised by how long it is. "Wow. That's a lot of crystals. But where did they come from?" Eventually, he came across Chris's bag.

"There's his bag." He dug through it and pulled out the green medallion. "And his medallion. Chris would never leave this behind, unless..." The little hairs started twitching again. He suddenly heard the sound of jet engines overhead. Looking up, the big brother saw a blur of pink.

"Oh no! Donita's here!" The "sprigs" rubbed faster. Martin gasped, finally understanding the signal. "Chris is in danger!"

* * *

Martin continued to trudge up the mountain. "Hang on Chris." However, with each step, he felt his body beginning to stiffen. He couldn't explain why. His muscles weren't near sore and he was perfectly hydrated. So what was wrong with him? Suddenly, his Creature Pod started ringing and he answered. On the line is Mina and she looked worried.

"Martin, are you okay?" she asked her brother in concern.

"I'm okay, sis. Haven't found Chris yet. Did you get anything about what's happening?"

"Well, Luna actually consulted with Hermia and her response was that this can only be the work of the Earth Guardian." Martin's eyes widened to this.

"Chris did this? But that can't be right."

"That's what I thought. He probably didn't cause it on purpose. But then, the next part was what was really scary." The nymph hybrid gasped. "And it's already happening!"

"What is?"

"Well, first off, your hair looks white in the light! Like it's polar bear fur!"

"What?" The Water Guardian switched his Creature Pod to Reflection Mode. His reflection showed him, but like Mina said, some of his hair was white. "How did that happen?"

"Because you were struck. You're… hardening into crystal."

"I'm what?! But I'm still flesh and blood!"

"For now! But it's starting to affect your body! Martin, you have to come back to the Tortuga now!"

"But I have to find Chris! And if he caused the crystallization, than it's more the reason to save him from Donita! She's here!"

"Oh no! Then we have no time to lose! If you won't come back, we'll come to you! Stay where you are!"

"But Chris-"

"I'm sure Chris will be fine," Aviva assured him, coming up next to Mina. "We're already on our way. And we're here!" The Tortuga hovered above the Water Guardian and began to lower down.

The hatch opened, showing Aviva with a lasso. In one swift movement, she lassoed the eldest Kratt and pulled him up. "Woah, MK, you don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Aviva. We just need to find Chris and fast." He took a step forward, but he suddenly felt weak and fell forward.

"Martin!" The inventor lunged toward him and managed to grab him. A little more of his hair then became white. The blue Kratt began taking in heavy breaths of air. With Corcovado's help, he got to the control room. The rest of the crew came up to him, checking over his body.

"We've got to do something, crew!" Koki thought. "Luna, is there some kind of antidote to save him?" Luna only shook her head solemnly.

"Not for this," she answered. "If Martin were struck in the head, it could be reversible, but it was his heart. And no one had ever been able to soften a crystallized heart in the past. However, Hermia did tell me that maybe the sixth element can fix this." All eyes went on the owl.

"The sixth element?" Mina repeated. "Aren't there only five?"

"This element isn't as crucial as the other five, but it is the sixth."

"What is it?" Aviva questioned.

"She doesn't know. All that she knew about it is this riddle; 'It comes in many forms, be it for family or allies. An act through this bond will soften even the hardest heart.'" The crew, minus Chris, thought about the riddle.

"'Many forms'…" Corcovado muttered.

"'Family or allies'…" Bambrick murmured.

"Bonds…" Jimmy mumbled. Suddenly, the alarm went off. Koki rushed to the main computer and pressed a button that showed what was going on. The monitor put up Donita's plane landing. After a few seconds, the fashion designer came out with a pose beam behind her.

"The sooner I get the little Kratt Brother, the sooner I get the jewels I need for my jewelry line," she said before heading down the mountain.

"Oh no!" Martin exclaimed.

* * *

*BG music: Joy Division - Isolation*

Chris had found a cave on the mountainside and was using it as a training area. But so far, he wasn't having much luck. The whole cave was covered in quartz.

"Focus... focus..." he muttered to himself in worry. "Pull it together... control it!" Unfortunately, it only led to crystal spikes coming out of the far wall. "Please... I don't want to hurt him. Not like THEN. I made a promise..."

* * *

"Okay, according to the Guardian Link, Chris should be THERE!" Mina led the way, pointing to a cave. Jimmy landed Tortuga in a lucky clearing.

"Um, I got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear?" he asked the crew.

"Good," Aviva and Mina responded.

"Bad," Koki and Martin said at the exact same time as them. The Kratt in blue had been wrapped in a blanket and seated on the table. A bit more of his hair was white.

"Well, it's kinda both. We found Chris. But so did Donita!" The team saw the fashionista entering the cave.

"We gotta save him..." Martin stated, trying to stand up, but he had to hold onto to the edge of the table to stay up. The Water Guardian breathed heavily.

"No Martin, you're too weak," Mina told him, helping him up a little.

"But, I can't let Donita take him away so she can use him for jewelry."

"But your body might crystallize at any moment!"

"That won't stop me. He's MY little brother. He's MY responsibility. He's MY best friend. And I won't let ANYTHING happen to him." Everyone stared in amazement. They knew that Martin cared a lot about Chris, but not by THIS degree. Aviva sighed, knowing that arguing will not help them save Chris.

"All right, but stay near us," she said. Martin weakly smiled. Suddenly, he heard something crackling. The blonde felt his fingers going numb so he looked down at his hands. He gasped when he saw through the tips of his fingers, glass like. "Martin?" The Water Guardian quickly hid his hands under the blanket.

"Let's hurry." Mina and Aviva helped him down to the garage.

* * *

"Focus… focus!" Chris chanted with more fear than before. All that answered was the crackling of more quartz forming. He breathed deeply over and over from the stress and held his aching head.

"Well hello, Chris-Angelo," he heard a familiar voice. He looked and saw Donata coming into the cave.

"Donita! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make you an offer you can't refuse."

"I know you, Donita. What are you planning?"

"Don't try anything, Donata!" Chris heard another voice. He gasped.

"They…" He looked at the entrance and saw his team coming up fast.

"Let's talk in private, shall we?" The fashionista smirked as she walked past him. "Wouldn't want your brother getting hurt, would you?" he heard her whisper. The Earth Guardian tensed up again at the question. How did she know that's what he feared most? Anything happening to Martin because of HIMSELF. The horrible memory played in his mind again.

'No! I won't let it happen again! I promised!' he screamed in his mind. Focusing, he released a blast of crystal at the open entrance.

* * *

Martin pulled the blanket closer, if that was still possible. His last blonde streak turned pure white. Mina looked his way in high concern. Aviva glanced behind her shoulder to him with a look of worry before focusing ahead. She gasped. The entrance was beginning to seal up with pale grey quartz. The Hispanic hit the brakes on the hover bike, prompting Koki and Jimmy to stop on their buzz bikes. "That crystal is going to seal them in!"

"It's like Chris doesn't want to be saved!" Jimmy said.

"But why?" Mina asked. Martin only narrowed his eyes and activated his medallion. He stuck a hand out of the blanket, now half crystallized. "Martin, wait!" He didn't stop and unleashed an icy wind. It solidified around an opening in the crystals, keeping it open. The Water Guardian got off the hover bike, struggling to stay on his feet.

"I… need… to save… Chris…" he stammered. Without warning, he managed to run towards the opening.

"Martin!" the crew called. The ice started cracking against the quartz. He jumped for it, barely making it inside before he was sealed inside. The blanket was caught under the crystal, revealing glass like spots all over his body. Martin struggled to pick himself off the ground. He used the quartz wall to support himself.

"Now here is the deal," he heard Donita say. He looked and saw the two talking, though they were meters apart. They didn't notice him. "You don't want Martino getting hurt and I want some crystals for my jewelry. So how about you come work for me and I keep you away from him? Do we have a deal?" She held out a hand. Martin looked surprised. Chris ran away to protect him? "Make a gorgeous gem so I know it's a deal."

Chris hesitated, thinking it over. It's true that he didn't want to hurt Martin, but work for Donita? He then pictured Zach making a deal with him. He would downright refuse any offer he made unless it was serious. And right now, it WAS serious. Plus, this was Donita, not Zach. Looked like he had no other choice but-

"Don't do it, Chris!" Martin shouted, getting their attention. Chris gasped at the sight of his brother, white hair and glassy spots.

"Martin?"

"It's me Chris."

"Wha-... What happened to you?"

"That's not important right now. Why didn't you call us about your new power? Why won't you let us help you?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially you, bro. Not after that vision I had."

"But dude! We are brothers! We tell each other everything! So why did you not-"

"I'm not breaking my promise!" the brunette interrupted.

"What promise?"

"Of course. You don't remember that day."

 _*Flashback*_

 _'It was during summer vacation after my first year of school. We had gone to the park one day. When we thought things were perfect, Zach showed up with a robot, a new prototype of his Zachbots.'_

 _"Hey, you rats!" the bully shouted at them._

 _"It's Kratt!" both brothers snapped back._

 _"Whatever! Check out my newest version of the Zachbot!" The prototype came rolling over to them. It beeped twice before shooting water at the Kratts. When it finally stopped, both found themselves soaked. Varmitech laughed hysterically at them. "I told you I'd get you, didn't I?" Angry, young Chris grabbed a big rock and stuffed it into the robot's tube like mouth._

 _"No more water aiming for you," he commented. Young Martin gave his little brother a proud pat on the back._

 _'Suddenly, the Zachbot started to malfunction. It was about to blow up. Zach had immediately run to safety. But we weren't so lucky until...'_

 _"Chris!" the blonde yelled, shoving his brother away from the blast range. Following Chris's landing on the ground, a bang came with a flash of orange. The brunette looked behind him and he regretted it. Laying on the ground, sprawled out like he was dead, was his older brother._

 _"Martin!" The younger Kratt rushed to his side, but was unsure what to do. Martin's blue shirt was burnt a bit with smoke stains and his khaki shorts had a tear at the bottom._

 _"Now look what you've done, Christopher!" the bully yelled, angry at him. "My improvement has been destroyed!" Then he started to laugh like a maniac again. "And you also endangered your brother! What kind of brother is that! Everything today is YOUR fault!" As he continued his laughing fit, the brunette's brown eyes began welling up._

 _'It's MY fault,' the youngest child thought. Chris then hid his face in his hands in shame and guilt. 'MY fault.' The tears came out rapidly down his hidden face just as the ambulance arrived._

 _*End Flashback*_

Martin stood in place, shocked by his confession. He really had no recollection of that day. Chris had started crying near the end. "The doctors said that you had a mild concussion. And that if you hadn't receive immediate treatment, you actually could've died. I was never so scared. I didn't want to lose you because of me. On the fourth day you were in the hospital, I made a promise to you that I would never put you in harm's way like that ever again."

"Chris..." was all the elder one could say.

"Oh, this is too good," Donita mused, walking in between them. She pointed a finger at Chris. "You left your home to protect your brother, but unfortunately, it did the exact opposite effect. According to what I just saw, and from what I intercepted from your crew members, Martino is turning into crystal. Basically, your brother is dying... because of you."

"No..." the green Kratt barely got out before falling to his knees. The crystal dome suddenly became dull shades of greys and black. Chris buried his face into his hands.

"Now for the brother." Donita controlled her pose beam to hover over the depressed sibling. Martin's eyes widened in fear. He won't let Donita have his little brother, his best friend in the world!

"CHRIS!" he yelled before using the last bits of strength in his legs to make him run forward. The swimming brother quickly threw an ice shield over both him and Chris... just before his entire body froze in place. Everything he had on, even himself became clear... as crystal.

The light of the pose beam bounced off the shield and hit Donita instead, making her unable to move. "What?! No!" Just then, Aviva's modified stone digger managed to break through the dome. The crew rushed in, only to see that they were too late. Chris finally looked up and he saw the back of the statue. He looked horrified.

"MARTIN!" Chris shrieked, running to the front of his now crystallized brother. "No... Martin..." Large tears streamed down his face and his hair went flat. He wrapped his arms around the quartz statue as he sobbed into its hard chest.

"Martin...?" Mina said in sadness, tears falling from her eyes. Koki buried her face into Jimmy's shoulder as she started to cry. Aviva covered her mouth as the salty water dripped from her face. The whole crew, except Chris, held their heads low in mourning... until they noticed a faint blue glow. They all looked up to see Martin's medallion still intact. As if in slow motion, his body started becoming flesh and cloth. The weeping brother didn't notice until he felt fabric instead of a glass like texture against him. A deep breath made him look up, seeing his brother... alive.

"Martin?" The latter looked down at his sibling.

"Chris..." Both brothers embraced each other in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a few seconds as the others cheered in joy. Chris then pulled back to make eye contact.

"Why did you...?"

"That's what loving brothers do." Mina gasped in realization.

"'In many forms, be it family or allies, an act of this bond will soften even the hardest heart'," she recited the riddle. "Love. That's the six element."

"Love..." Chris whispered. A spark came to his eyes and instantly, the crystal dome srarted breaking into microscopic shards. In fact, all the crystallization on the mountain was rounded up into a tiny ball of the glass like stones in the Earth Guardian's hand. Then in one swift movement of his hands, they disappeared completely.

"Hey! Where did my jewels go?!" Donita's voice cried out. They had completely forgotten about her. Chris took a step forward, but Martin put an arm in front of him. He first made an ice stalagmite to destroy the pose beam and then lowered the ice shield. There stood the fashionista and a she looked shocked when she saw Martin back to normal. The blonde had a stern look on his face.

"Martino?! But... Chris-Angelo crystallized your heart!"

"Donita, you're the only one on this side of the mountain with a heart as hard as a rock," he told her. "And my brother's powers are for protecting the planet, not making jewels for your jewelry line. He belongs living free and with his family."

She stepped back, fearing about what would happen now. Martin stepped on the floor, creating an ice floor and making Donita slip away from there, screaming, making the others laugh.

Chris looked at him. "Martin, I'm so sorry. It was dumb of me to hide my feelings like that. I was so scared..."

"Sometimes, people make bad choices when they're afraid," Luna appeared. "But you know now that your love is the key."

"Yeah... I sure do." Chris put a hand on his big brother's shoulder, receiving back a hug.

* * *

 _"Dear Hermia,_

 _I have seen what fear of something can do to not just yourself, but others close to you. You can try to avoid it, but it'll eventually catch up to you. But now I know that with the sixth element, Love, I have no fears to worry about. And I'll always have that element. No matter where I am._

 _Earth Guardian,_

 _Chris Kratt"_

* * *

Chris saw Martin sitting on a tree branch not too high up. Being the expert climber that he is, he reached him in a couple of seconds. "What are you doing up here?" the brunette asked. The Kratt in blue just turned to him with a smile.

"Hey bro," he said simply. "Not really up here for much reason. Just felt like sitting on a branch. Like the good old days." Chris smiled, sitting on a nearby branch that was just as sturdy.

"Yeah. It's been so long since we just sat on a high branch just for the fun of it."

"But barely anything changed, right?"

"Right." Chris suddenly got up and laid himself on top of his brother with his back on Martin's chest. Martin ceased movement in surprise. "And it's been too long since we sat together just like this."

"Oh, I remember now. Man, we were really young. And everytime we sat like this, you always..." The blonde stopped when he noticed how Chris was breathing. Slow and deep. And he had his eyes closed with a smile on his face, making Martin chuckle lightly. "Fell asleep immediately." The big brother gently ruffled Chris's already messy hair. "I love you, bro. Never forget that." Martin laid a protective hand on Chris's folded ones on his lap before slipping into the calming dark of sleep with a smile as well.

Martin's medallion was on the nightstand along with Chris's medallion. Both began to glow softly before it illuminated the whole room. When it died down, the centers had changed. Chris's was a six-petaled flower and Martin's was a snowflake. The images disappeared, returning to circles.


	26. Episode 27: Snow-Monkey Loves Me

"Ah-ah-ACHOO!"

"Hmm..." Aviva hummed in focus as she examined the reading on the thermometer. "Both 103 fahrenheit. It's official, boys. No creature adventuring for you today."

"Awww..." both brothers whined in disappointment. They really didn't look so good. Chris's hair was flat against his forehead and Martin's sprigs were droopy. A rosy tint was visible on their cheeks and they were wrapped in blankets of their signature colors.

"Fahren-what?" Mina asked, confused, while Koki saw if she was sick as well.

"Fahrenheit, Mina. It's a unit of measurement for temperature," Koki explained. "Only the country of the United States uses this measurement. The rest of the world uses a system called the Metric System, in which temperature is measured in Celsius. Celsius equals more than Fahrenheit, despite the number being lower. It's gets a little confusing sometimes, though." The female Fire Guardian took the thermometer out of the nymph's mouth. "In Fahrenheit, the average body heat is 98 degrees. Yours is right on the mark. Completely fine."

"And if it's under or over like the bros?" As if on cue, Martin sneezed, gaining both of their attention.

"That means something called foreign antibodies got inside the body." Koki brought up pictures of microscopic things. "Like a germ or a virus. The immune system, which protects the body from these harmful things, has to use a lot of energy in order to fight them. And that can cause a rise in body temperature."

"Also, the body uses so much energy in fighting these antibodies, the body itself doesn't exactly work right," Aviva added. "Exerting the body while in this condition only makes it worse. Which is why people don't usually go out when they're sick, only for when it's really urgent."

"And apparently, those two brothers caught the common flu virus... and a cold."

"Will they be okay?" Mina asked.

"As long as they don't do anything that requires them to push themselves, they should be feeling better by tomorrow," Aviva assured her. Chris and Martin weakly smiled at their little sister.

"We'll be okay, Mina," Chris said.

"Even if we can't explore the Hida Mountains with you today," Martin added.

"But how did they get the flu in the first place?" Bite-Size asked, while wrapping himself up in Koki`s scarf. "They would actually be the last two I'd ever expect to get sick, considering how healthy they are."

"Well..." Koki started.

*Flashback*

 _"I think it was the night after Aviva pretty much "dumped" Cyrano. It was pretty cold outside and it was raining. Knowing those two, they probably snuck out to see some owls or another nocturnal creature."_

*End flashback*

"That's what we were doing," Chris admitted before sneezing into his blanket.

"And rain and cold tempurature usually means a cold OR a flu, but mostly the flu."

"Yeah, we forgot to bring our rain jackets that night," Martin said.

"But that was days ago," the little brown bat informed, a little confused.

"Well, Bite-Size, some viruses take days or weeks before any symptoms are shown," the African explained. "And flu viruses only take a few days before one officially does get the flu."

"Well... if they're sick... who will teach me about the Hida Mountains?" Mina asked.

"How about me and Koki?" Aviva suggested. All heads turned to her in surprise.

"I don't know Aviva," the blue Kratt said. "How did that work for everyone during the When Fish Fly adventure?"

*'When Fish Fly' flashback*

"Okay, yes that one was one of our toughest creature adventures, but that was at sea. We're on land in the mountains. So this should be easier." The boys only glanced worried looks at each other.

"Thanks, girls!" Mina said, excited, hugging both of them.

"All right, just make sure Mina stays safe," Chris told them, knowing it was pointless to argue.

"And warm and toasty," Martin added. Mina chuckled as she rolled her eyes. She loved her brothers, but they sort of smother her with being too much of big brothers.

"And also-" Chris didn't finish before Aviva activated her medallion, which was under her jacket collar, and sent a gentle breeze towards the ill siblings. Instantly, they looked pretty sleepy. "No... fair... Aviva..." he moaned, trying to stay awake.

"You both need your rest and a little 'Lazy Wind' as I call it is the only way fast enough," she told them smugly. She then innocently waved with an innocent looking look on her face. "Good night." At that, both brothers fell backwards in their hammocks, dead asleep. They had even started snoring. Mina and Koki chuckled at the events.

"I could use a little Lazy Wind," Jimmy said.

"Sorry Jimmy, but we need you awake to watch the Kratt Bros in case they wake up and try to sneak off. You know how they get."

"You basically want me to babysit them? Come on, they can take care of themselves."

"Not in their current condition. They really do need their rest. And who knows what they'll do out there and get even more sick."

"Pleeease, Jimmy-wimmy?" Koki asked, making a glowing-eyes face, one of the things Jimmy couldn't resist since they started dating.

Jimmy chuckled in defeat with a smile. "Anything for you, my chocolate cupcake," he answered. Koki then gave her boyfriend a hug.

"Thanks Jimmy." The African gave him a kiss on the cheek before running up to the other girls, who started heading out the door. "Bye honey." She waved before the door closed behind her.

* * *

"Wow, there's so much snow out here," Mina commented.

"That's because this specific mountain is Mount Tsurugi," Koki explained while pulling out her Creature Pod to pull up a geographic map of the mountain range. "It is the fourth highest peak in this mountain range at more than 9,800 feet. Snow comes a lot in this time of the year so it can get pretty deep. Luckily for us, it's only at least three inches right now."

"Okay girls, let's get to exploring!" Aviva said to them before taking a run. The other two rush after her.

* * *

"What's this?" Zach said when his camera caught something green down below. The jet was current flying over Mount Tsurugi. "The Wild Kratts are here? Hmmm... Zachbots! See what they're doing here!"

* * *

"It's beautiful... in every single way," Mina commented, as she built a snowman and drew a WK symbol on its belly.

"Awe, it's so cute!" Aviva complimented.

"Thanks big sis." The snowman was really a little snow girl about a half of Aviva's height. "I think I'll name her... Vanilla."

"Vanilla?" Koki asked.

"Yeah. The snow is totally white and what's as sweet as vanilla?"

"All right then. Vanilla the Little Snow Lady." The girls laughed a little bit before Mina picked up some snow and balled it up into a snow ball. Then she threw it at Aviva, which hit her on the shoulder.

"Hey!" she shouted, but not angrily. In the next few seconds, the three were having a snowball fight. Then Aviva used her air powers to gather a lot of snow into one big snowball. Mina and Koki ran away while laughing until the nymph tripped on uneven ground and went tumbling down down the mountain. The adults gasped and ran after her, Aviva putting the giant ball of snow down.

"Mina!" they called. Mina kept rolling down until she soon fell through a snow buried hole. She screamed as she slid down the tunnel. When she reached the end, landed on her bum with a dizzy head. After a shake of the head, it cleared and she was surprised by what she saw in front of her.

It was a beautiful, fertile grotto. There were also several, fairly large ponds with steam rising out. Living in this hidden place were these strange cream colored monkeys. Some of them were looking at her with curiosity.

"Mina! Are you okay?" she heard Aviva's voice echo down the tunnel.

"You guys got to see this!" she answered.

Aviva and Koki sled down to meet Mina, and also got surprised about the monkeys.

"Wow, it's a secret colony," Aviva breathed.

"But what are monkeys doing here in Japan?" Koki asked. "Especially on a cold mountain like Mount Tsurugi?"

"I don't know, but I do know what those are." The inventor pointed to one of the ponds with a shine in her eyes. "Hot springs!"

"Hot springs?" Mina asked.

"While there's no official definition for them, hot springs are basically springs heated up by the geothermal heat in the Earth's mantle. There's a lot throughout Japan, but there was never any discovered on this mountain before." Aviva took out a water thermometer (who knows how long she had it) and placed the end into a nearby, little pool.

"And the water's a perfect temperature. A nice 26.6 degrees in celsius, or 80 degrees in fahrenheit."

"Awe, it's a shame my brothers are missing this," the hybrid said.

"And Jimmy," Koki added.

* * *

Speaking of Jimmy, he was currently taking out a plate of cookies out of the microwave. He was hungry, which was no surprise, and thought the brothers would like a treat since they're stuck inside. The Tortuga was filled with the delicious scent, which was enough to actually make both siblings stir. Chris's eyes were the first to flutter open followed by Martin. Jimmy heard shuffling from their hammocks and looked to see them starting to sit up slowly.

"Well, that was a fast nap," he commented. The blonde rubbed his eyes while the brunette stretched as he yawned pretty loudly.

"How long were we out for?" Martin asked groggily.

"Only half an hour. Must've been the chip-a-roos, huh?" The Caucasian held the plate up to the two. Both managed to smile despite them still under the side effects of the Lazy Wind as they took a cookie.

"Thanks Jimmy," they both said at the same time before taking a bite of their cookies.

"Any call from the girls?" Martin asked, while munching the cookies.

"Not yet. Like I said, you were only asleep for half an hour." Suddenly, the phone alarm started ringing. "Well what do you know?" Jimmy pressed a button on the keyboard to answer. Koki came up on the screen.

"Hey, sugarcube," she said with a wave. "Are those Kratt Brothers still out?"

"Funny you should ask, cookie. They just woke up."

"Well, that wasn't very long. Should've known from two early birds like them."

"Actually, the smell of Jimmy's cookies woke us up," Chris chimed in after finishing his cookie.

"I'll make sure to leave some for you, cupcake." Koki giggled. Bite-Size then took notice the background.

"Hey Koki, where are you?" the little bat asked.

"Oh yeah. That's why I was calling. Mina came across a secret, underground hot spring cluster. And there's vegetation and even these monkeys. Check it out." She moved out of camera's view so the guys can see.

"Cool. Hot springs," Jimmy and Bite-Size said. But Chris and Martin gasped in surprise and leaned forward in their hammocks. Unfortunately, they were leaning too far and fell out of them, hitting the metal floor with a loud thud. They immediately get up with excited looks on their faces.

"Japanese macaques!" they exclaimed.

"Any info to help us?" Koki asked.

"And maybe inspire me to create new Creature Power Disks with the M.I.K?" Aviva knew they wouldn't resist that.

"Well, first off, this macaque is the only primate in the world that lives in a cold climate," Chris began. "For that reason, they are called 'snow monkeys'. They are known for their intelligence and how they keep warm in the winter time to time. By sitting in hot springs."

"Though they usually live in trees or even on the ground," Martin continued. "These macaques can pretty much live anywhere in Japan. And they only live here too."

"And they can withstand temperatures that are 20 degrees below Celsius."

"Which is also 4 degrees below Fahrenheit. Also, this special monkey can swim half a kilometer and can really leap."

"Sounds like enough info to make some Power Disks!" Aviva proclaimed, pulling off the M.I.K.

"Oh, we really wish we were with you girls."

Mina giggled as a baby macaque started pulling her arm. "Is he wanting me to join him?" she asked.

The adults and bat giggled. "Apparently," Chris said. "Japanese macaques usually don't mind sharing the hot springs with humans. Do we need Jimmy to send you your swimming gear?"

"If I'm going to be sitting in warm water, might as well."

"Ours too please!" Aviva chimed in. The brothers gave her a stern look. Aviva noticed this. "Are you two really that mad about my Lazy Wind?"

"Just don't do it again." The Hispanic rolled her eyes.

"Don't count on it," she whispered.

"We heard that!" both male brothers shouted.

"Just hold on for a second, Snowdrop," Mina told the little macaque.

"Snowdrop?" Martin asked.

"Well, look how white his fur is. Most of the others have cream and grey fur. But this one is completely white. So we'll name him Snowdrop."

"Hmmm... hey Koki, what would that be in Japanese?" Koki typed the name into her Creature Pod.

"Well, if you want the equivalent term for it, it translates to 'Matsu-yuki-sou', which literally means 'a glass which waits for snow'," she answered.

"Matsu-yuki-sou," Chris repeated.

"Snowdrop the Japanese Mac-a-a-ACHOO!" Martin sneezed into a tissue Jimmy teleported to him. "Thanks, Jimmy."

"No problemo, MK," JZ responded. "Now for the summer gear. Coming at ya girls!" He placed the swim suits on the teleporter and activated it. They reappeared in the cavern and Koki caught them.

"Thanks honey," she said. "Now, if you boys don't mind hanging up, we're going to get redressed."

"No peeping," Aviva said slyly. All four males blushed at that, Chris and Martin's faces being redder than earlier.

"Aviva!" they shrieked in embarrassment.

"Okay! We're hanging up!" The teleport master screamed before turning off communications.

* * *

Unknown to the crew, a small Zachbot was watching them. From inside his warm jet, Zach was seeing everything.

"Oooo, a jackpot of hot springs," he said. To himself. "The perfect place for a hot spring resort. Just need to remove those plants, monkey thingies and those Wild Rat Girls." Then he noticed the girls taking off their winter gear and and saw the bathing suits laying near them. Zach screamed in horror. "Zachbot! Turn away! Give the girls some privacy!" he commanded through a mic. The little robot turned around.

* * *

"Wow, Mina. You really lost weight since your 8th birthday," Koki noticed.

"Thanks. I don't eat as much as everyone else. Just a little bit of food is enough for me," Mina said as they finished putting on their gear. Koki had on an orange two piece with yellow stripes and a tie on top. Aviva's two piece was magenta with ribbons on her bottoms for an extra touch. Mina just wore a simple, pink bathing suit with a sewn-on plastic flower on the right strap. They had gotten dressed behind a thick clump of vines that were growing in the cavern.

Snowdrop began pulling on Mina's arm again once he knew she was done. "Okay Snowdrop, I'm coming." The baby macaque led her to the closest hot spring, which was filled with other little snow monkeys. "Are these your friends?" The Japanese native monkey jumped in response before going in with a splash. A wave hit the nymph's feet, which made her jump back in the sudden rise of heat. "That water IS warm." Carefully, she placed her tiny foot into the spring. In the next few seconds, she had herself up to her shoulders in the spring, the deepest it can go.

"Ah. This feels great."

"It sure does, little sis," Aviva said from another spring. Koki was with her. They had their heads resting on their folded arms, which were on the edge of the hot spring. "And it also seems that the macaques had organized themselves in groups. Those over there are bigger, so they must be the males," she pointed to another spring, which had ones a little bigger than the others, "the females right here where we are,"

"And the kids over here," Mina finished for her. "Wow, they're smart." Suddenly, Mina felt someone was watching them. "Ever felt like you're being observed?" The hybrid asked.

"Yeah. The macaques are with us. And that big male over there must be the alpha male so he watches everyone." Aviva pointed to the biggest male in the group of other males. "And he doesn't seem to mind having human visitors in his territory." Koki grabbed her Creature Pod, which was nearby. She brought up a video of another alpha macaque.

"Plus, it's usually the alpha male that has the most mates," she informed, looking up the info. "Snow monkeys have consortships when selecting mates, but high-ranking males will try to interrupt the low-ranking males' consortships. And usually, it's the females that make the decision to mate."

"Cool, but I don't think it's the alpha I'm feeling nervous about," Mina told them. "Like it's coming from... where we came in." She glanced at the exit and gasped when she saw a flash of red and silver. "A Zachbot!" she screamed, standing up from where she was sitting, which splashed some water out. Both adult humans screamed before ducking into the spring, their heads bobbing on the surface.

"Zach, that pervert!" Aviva shouted angrily. She picked up a nearby rock. "Go peep somewhere else!" Corcovado then threw the rock, hitting its target and it explodes.

The screen fuzzed up. "Hey, just because I saw you in bathing suits doesn't mean I'm a perv!" he shouted. "I was gentlemanly enough to not watch you undress!"

"Well, I guess Vermin-tech is back," Mina concluded. "But what he would want with the macaques?" she asked herself, while Snowdrop pulled her arm, wanting to play.

"I don't think it's the macaques he wants," Koki said worriedly. "I think he's more after the hot springs!"

"But this is the only place of plant life and heat on this whole mountain!" Aviva pointed out. "I know that snow monkeys can migrate, but we're miles up!"

"And we can't call in the Kratt Brothers because they're sick!"

"Looks like we'll have to lead this creature mission! Calling Jimmy to send us our Creature Power Suits!"

* * *

The boys were sipping cocoa, Martin's buried under mound of marshmallows as usual. Both siblings were in their hammocks again. The phone rang and Jimmy went to answer it. "Hey Aviv-AAAHHH!" he screamed the last when he saw Aviva still in her bikini and covered his eyes, letting his mug drop to the floor. The others looked to see what was going on, only to react the same way.

"I'll get it, Aviva." Koki was already dry and dressed up again. "Sugarcube, we need our CPS quick. Zach's here and we're gonna find out why!"

"On it, cupcake!" Jimmy grabbed the three suits and placed them on the teleporter. "Zap it!" With a click of the button, they had reappeared int the cavern.

"Thanks, sugarcube."

"And right on time," Aviva said. Three ice blue colored disks came out of the M.I.K. "Three snow monkey power disks ready to go!"

"You two go ahead," Mina told them. She was still in the spring with the kid macaques and Snowdrop was playing with her hair. "I don't think I'll be able to leave for a while." With a nod of understanding, the adult girls placed their disks into their suits and touched a nearby female macaque.

"Activate Macaque Power!" In a flash of purple and orange, they were in their Macaque suits.

"Wow, this suit is pretty thick," Aviva commented.

"Perfect for keeping warm in 20 degrees below Celsius," Koki added.

"To the habitat rescue!" Both girls head up the tunnel.

"Good luck girls!" The Kratt Brothers cheered before Jimmy hung up.

Mina laughed as the macaques tickled her. "Aw, stop it, please!"

A little female macaque noticed one of Mina's hair clips sitting on top of her CPS. She got out of the spring to go over and pick it up. It then took a piece of vine and went back over to the hybrid.

"Everyone off, everyone off," Mina heard her say. Surprisingly, they did what they're told and gave the two some room. The young female then began presumably fixing her now mangled hair, putting it into a simple ponytail by using the vine as a hair tie. She made a finishing touch by using the hair clip to hold back any loose hair.

"Thank you," she said to the little snow monkey.

"No problem. You can't have messy hair when on a job."

"Mina! Help!" the desperate voices of her sisters echoed into the cavern.

"Oh no!" Snowdrop suddenly got out of the spring and grabbed the CPS and the last disk to bring over to Mina.

"You're gong to need these," he told her. Mina stepped out before slipping on her suit and placing in the disk.

"Thanks Snowdrop." She stroked his head before activating her suit. After a flash of pink, Minaque (Mina Macaque) rushed up the tunnel. When she reached the surface, she found herself surrounded by Zachbots. Two were holding her two sisters and soon Zach arrived.

"Ah, the third Wild Rat Girl has finally popped out of her hole," he said.

"It's Wild Kratts!" the girls snapped.

"And whatever you're going to do with the hot springs, we won't let you!" Aviva shouted. "Those Japanese macaques need those hot springs because they provide heat and the fertility for plants! There isn't any food here at this time of year and they'll starve without it!"

"What, those monkey thingies are all over Japan. Sacrificing a few for my hot spring resort isn't going to hurt anyone."

"Yes it will, Zach!" Koki retorted. "From what I saw from my Creature Pod earlier, snow monkeys are slowly becoming endangered because their homes are being cut down and people are hunting them! So every Japanese macaque counts!"

"Aw, bla-bla-bla!" Zach mocked. "Let's go take these girls where they can't cause trouble!" Koki, Aviva and Mina gulped with this.

Snowdrop and the other kid macaques saw everything and felt they needed to help the girls. But how?

Snowdrop came up with an idea when he saw that Koki accidentally left her Creature Pod. Taking it, he examined it to see how it worked before pressing the call button.

* * *

"I do hope they'll be okay," Jimmy said worriedly.

"They have macaque powers, Jimmy," Martin assured him. "They should be fine." The phone started ringing again. "Okay, if they ring up one more time, I'll personally get up and turn off communications permanently."

"Easy bro, it could be urgent," Chris told him as Jimmy answered. Everyone was surprised when they saw the little macaque on the screen.

"Matsu-yuki-sou? What are you doing with Koki's Creature Pod?" The snow monkey kid began chattering, but they don't understand him.

"Hang on a second, Snowdrop. We need our medallions." The Kratt Brothers pulled out their medallions from under their pillows and Jimmy took his out of his pocket. Putting them on, they activated them. "Okay, go ahead."

"Your friends were captured by some creepy pale guy with these metallic henchmen!" the macaque panicked. "He wants to turn our home into one of those human resorts!" They all gasped at this, but unfortunately, the Kratts fell out of their hammocks again. They quickly dusted themselves off.

"Just great! Leave them to do the creature adventuring for less than an hour and Zach comes to make things difficult for everyone!"

"We better get out there to help!"

"If they weren't in trouble, I would've told you two to stay in bed," Jimmy informed. "But you're right on this. They need expert creature adventurers." The Kratt Brothers hurriedly put on their snow gear and ran out the door. "Just remember not to overdo it!"

* * *

Zach had the girls locked in a cage not far from the hole. The Zachbots had drills for hands. "First things first, we got to make the entrance bigger for the tourists," he told them. "So get digging!" Before the robots' drills even touched the snow, spikes of ice shot up and impaled them. "WHAT?!"

"Not so fast Zach!" Martin yelled as he and Chris ran down the mountain side. "Let the girls go and leave the macaques alone!"

"Oh great! I actually thought I wouldn't see you two today! Zachbots! Stop them!" One by one, the Zachbots charged at them. Martin easily crushed them under a wave of snow he controlled. As they came closer, Snowdrop popped out the hole without anyone noticing and managed to swipe Zach's remote. Mina was the first to see him.

"Snowdrop?" she asked in a whisper. Matsu-yuki-sou pressed the big button and the cage door opened.

"You brought them here?" Mina hugged her little friend. "Thanks, buddy, but if you excuse me, I gotta help my brothers."

"We're with ya!" Aviva and Koki said.

Martin was easily destroying Zachbots with his snow and ice magic. Chris couldn't do much except lure them into lumps for his brother to attack since there was nothing on the surface but snow. But eventually, the Zachbots surrounded them. Martin was about to attack again, but then he suddenly felt too weak and let out a hard cough. Chris then saw him kneeling on one knee.

"Bro!" he called out before kneeling next to him.

"I think my flu is finally taking a toll to me," the blonde told him, his voice haven gotten hoarse.

"What's this? Blue Boy is sick?" Zach questioned, hovering nearby.

"Not just him, me too," Chris admitted. "But that didn't stop us from coming here to stop you!" He pointed an accusing finger at the evil inventor before pulling it back to suppress his own cough. Zach only smirked at this.

"But if you're both sick, that makes those medallions easy pickings! I can then use them to power two special Zachbots I designed - one for water and another for earth - to help me build my resort!"

"No way Zach! We'll never let you have them!"

"Suit yourselves. Zachbots! Get those medallions!"

Suddenly, the female kid macaque thet helped Mina appeared, being followed by other japanese macaques.

"Huh? Where are these monkey thingies coming from?" The big males and females started attacking the robots in groups of three. With help from the Wild Kratt Girls, all of them were destroyed. The alpha glared at Zach, as if to say 'Back off!" Zach screamed. "Okay, okay! You can keep the hot springs! You can keep them!" With that, he retreated to his jet and took off.

"Awesome job girls!" Chris congratulated them.

"And awesome job to the macaques!" Martin added. "It's no wonder. If one macaque does something different, then everyone does!"

"Thank you both so much!" Mina said to Snowdrop and the little female as she hugged them. Martin and Chris then sneezed at the same time, making every head turn to them. "Oh, almost forgot." The hybrid went up to the alpha. "Is it okay if my brothers join us?" He actually just shrugged to say 'I don't see why not.'

* * *

"Ah, temperature's perfect," Chris commented as he and the others relaxed in the springs.

"I can already feel my body loosening up," Martin said. "Nothing better for a sick day than relaxing in a hot spring with one of the coolest primates on the planet." Both brothers yawned in exhaustion. "And man, using nature powers while having the flu really takes a lot of of ya."

"Agreed. But now the macaques' home is safe. Living free... And in the wild..."

"Guys?" Aviva asked, but Jimmy shushed her. He pointed to the leaders, who had both fallen asleep. The girls giggled at this. "Well, I guess they do deserve the rest. Let's just let them sleep."

The others giggled as the leaders snored.

"I love hanging out with snow monkeys!" Koki admitted.

"Yeah..." Mina giggled as she was tickled by Snowdrop. "And as much as I do too, this snow monkey sure loves me!" She embraced her furry friend.


	27. Episode 28: Hopping to the Rescue

In the Australian desert, the Tortuga HQ landed close to an eucalyptus forest.

Aviva was finishing bandaging a little koala's paw. "There, little buddy. You'll be fine soon," she said.

"He should be careful when eating. You never know when predators are close. Trust me, I have been through this," Bite-Size said.

"You sure did, Bites. You sure did," Koki said.

"Hey, guys!" The Kratt bros and Mina called. "We're in the red kangaroos territory!"

"And this time, keeping the keys safely on the Createrra VX," Mina said.

"Let's not risk the same thing last time we've been here happens again," Chris said.

"Kickin' It with the Roos adventure," Mina said. "This Hopster guy sure is cute. I wonder how he's doing today."

"Well, it has been a wile since we've met him. He must already be a grown-up kangaroo," Chris pointed out.

"Like Spot-Swat is grown-up, and so are Crocodilla's babies and Shadow," Martin pointed out, as he observed the diary, and compared some pictures. "Geez, time is being generous with them. They've grown up in great condition."

"Hey, is this a bean?" Mina asked, pointing out to a picture in the book.

"No. Believe it or not, this is a kangaroo baby. They're born this size, then they enter their mothers' pouch, where they grow up. After at least 190 days, the joey is ready to leave the pouch," Chris explained.

"So small... even smaller than platypus eggs."

"That's the marsupial way of getting born. They develop themselves in pouches," Martin said. "T-devils and koalas are also marsupials."

"Cool."

"Uh… guys, not wanting to hurry you, but... you got company." Bite-Size said.

The Kratt siblings turned aroud to see... a dingo!

"Quick! To the Createrra!" Chris shouted, as they rushed to the vehicle. Mina looked from the door, to see two joeys playing together.

"He's gonna get the joeys!" Mina gulped. But then, a red kangaroo approached the dingo and kicked it, expelling it from there after a short combat.

"Woo-hoo! Go, kangaroo power! Male red kangarros sure can kick!" Martin cheered.

"How do you know it's a male?"

"Simple. Despite the name, only male red kangaroos are red. Females are blue and have pouches," Chris explained.

Suddenly, Martin observed the kangaroo. That bent ear... was familiar. Could he be…

The Kratt in blue came out of the Createrra.

"Wait, Martin! Where are you going?" Chris asked.

"That kangaroo is Hopster! He's the only kangaroo with a bent ear!" Martin explained.

"Even if it is him, I don't think he'll recognize us immediatly," Chris said.

"But he'll sure recognize this sound." Martin shook the keys, calling the kangaroo's attention.

He recognized the noise and came in the Createrra's direction, sniffing Martin and allowing him to pat him.

"It is Hopster! Hey, buddy! Long time no see, huh?"

Chris and Mina approached the red kangaroo.

"Why not finding out what he's saying, bro?" Chris gave Martin his medallion.

"Okey Tokey!" Martin put his medallion on. The brothers activated their Animal Comprehension power.

"What are those things glowin' on your chests?" Hopster asked. His voice had a strong Australian accent.

"We'll explain later, buddy. For now, you can know that we can understand what you're saying now," Martin said.

"Ya can? Awesome! So g'day, fellas! Welcome to ma home!"

"Thanks!" Chris said.

"Who's the black-and-white hair kid?"

"Our sister Mina," Chris explained. "And are you related to the joeys there?"

"One of them is my son," Hopster said. The little kangaroo came in their direction and hid behind his father. "Relax, boy. They're friends."

"A kangaroo joey can hop 2 feet high," Martin told Mina. "We gotta come out with a name for him."

The joey hopped in Mina's direction, and she held firmly on his back. After some hops, Mina was completely dizzy.

"Either Elevator or Spring..." Mina said, making Martin and Chris chuckle.

* * *

Not far from them, a rather familiar vehicle was seen.

"Go eat somewhere else!" It was Gourmand, who immediatly placed his fold-out restaurant.

"Maybe I'll try something new here. A kangaroo delicacy... who ever heard of something like this? Gourmand you're a genius!"

* * *

Bite-Size panted. "Phew... id it just me or is it hot in here?"

"The thermostat's broken, Bites," Koki said. "I think Aviva can fix it..."

Bite-Size flew to Jimmy's water glass and took some sips.

"Hope he doesn't mind me drinking from his water."

"You should see what Thornsley did," Koki chuckled.

"Yeah, it doesn't bother me sharing with my friends. After all, me and Koki represent Generosity, don't we?"

"You said it, sweetums."

"Sorry, guys, no time for the thermostat. I'm almost finished with my new invention," Aviva warned.

"Fine. I think I can handle this," Koki said, getting up.

* * *

Mina played fight with Hopster's joey, while he and the Wild Kratts observed everything.

Suddenly, the joey hopped again with Mina on his back, once again leaving her dizzy.

"So, guys..." Mina shook her head, regaining balance. "Whatcha think? Elevator or Spring?"

"Judging by the jump, Spring's better," Martin said.

"You said it. Spring it is," Mina said, patting the joey.

Suddenly, they saw Hopster beat one of his feet on the floor.

"Uh-oh. Danger alert!" Chris said, recognizing the sign.

"Oh, no! The dingo's back! And he has friends!" Mina informed, seeing the dingo followed by its friends.

"Uh-oh. Let's get outta here," Martin and Chris rushed to the Createrra.

"Wait for me!" Mina started floating, but her powers started to weaken. She has spent so much time playing with Spring she was exhausted.

"Help! I can't float! I'm exhausted!"

Hearing his sister's distress call, Martin touched Hopster, activating his red kangaroo power suit.

"I'm hopping to the rescue, little sister!" Martin said. "Oh, that's the name of the episode!" Seeing a female kangarro close to him, he touched her pouch, activating his pouch feature.

"Hop in, sis," Martin said, chuckling, and reaching Mina.

"Very funny," Mina said, entering the pouch. "Hmmm... so cozy..."

Gourmand looked from behind a rock. "Blue Berry and Spice-Hair, huh? I won't have the Wild Kratts bothering me."

Martin looked back to see how far he jumped. "Uh-oh. My Creaturepod's nearly dead. And we're really far from the Createrra and the Tortuga."

"Mine's too. I only hope they find us," Mina said, yawning in Martin's pouch.

What Martin didn't know is that Gourmand was behind them, with a net.

* * *

"*sigh* Nothing. They don't answer my Creaturepod," Chris complained.

"Maybe with a high jump, you can see how far they are," Spring suggested.

"Good idea, boy." Chris picked up his Kangaroo Power Disk and touched Hopster. "Activate Kangaroo Power!"

Once he jumped, Chris saw Martin and Mina, but also saw Gourmand.

"I found them! But Gourmand is there too. I gotta save them!"

Chris rushed to his siblings, jumping quickly. Spring followed the green kangaroo.

"Martin! Mina! Watch out!" he shouted, calling his siblings' attention.

Martin heard Chris' call, and looked back to see Gourmand. Gasping, he started jumping quickly, running away from Gourmand.

Mina held firmly on Martin's pouch. Spring reached them quickly, and kicked Gourmand to help them.

"Ugh! You little twerp!" Gourmand grabbed the joey by the tail. "At least I got one kangaroo." He ran back to his fold-out restaurant.

"Spring!" Mina gasped. "No!"

Martin looked back. "Don't worry, little sis. We're gonna talk with the crew and then hop to the rescue!" He heard Mina's yawn. "But first, you need a nap."

* * *

In the Tortuga, the crew still leaded with the heat problem. Hopster hopped around, worried about Spring.

"Phew... it is hot in here." Chris wiped the sweat from his face.

"Ugh. I need Aviva's help. I can't fix this thermostat," Koki said. Bite-Size rubbed a small towel on her forehead.

"She's in the Garage, working on some new thingamajig," Jimmy said.

"And the thingamajig it's done!" Aviva said, entering the room. "Ta-da! Hopper Boots! Especially designed to make anyone jump as high as a kangaroo."

"Uh, now that you finished your new invention..." Koki called her attention, pointing to the thermostat.

"Oh... okay, I'm going," Aviva chuckled, picking her screwdriver.

"With these boots, we can easily jump like kangaroos without the creature power suits," Martin said.

Mina yawned, waking up from her nap. "What was that about boots?"

"We'll explain you, sis. Aviva designed these boots to make us jump high like the roos."

"Uh, just to remind ya, my son's still in danger," Hopsterpointed out.

"You're right, Hopster. Maybe this new invention can help us," Chris said.

"Spring helped us, so let's help him. You guys have the kangaroo suits, so I'll have the boots. And now, let's hop to the rescue! " Mina said, ready to save her roo buddy.

* * *

Spring was afraid. He didn't want to be cooked. Gourmand was out, searching for more roos to cook.

Mina jumped with the Hopper Boots, being followed by the Roo Bros and Hopster.

"I can see Spring! Right on Gourd-mand's restaurant." the hybrid said.

"We need a plan," Chris said.

"And quick! Gourmand's coming back!" Martin jumped, seeing Gourmand.

"These kangaroos are fast, but I'll have my kangaroo delicacy at any cost!" Gourmand declared, picking up some nets.

Martin had an idea, and whispered it to his siblings and to the red kangaroo.

Gourmand saw two kangaroos silhouettes jumping high not too far from the restaurant.

"A-ha! Come to Gourmand, my little ingredients..." The chef went after the kangaroos.

While he was gone, Mina and Chris entered the restaurant.

"Don't worry, Spring. We'll get you out of here." Mina bit the net with her teeth, freeing her roo buddy. "Plus, guess now I can finally follow you!" She showed him her new Hopper Boots.

"Come on! Let's get outta here," the Kratt in Green said.

"What about Martin?" Mina asked.

"Trust me, he'll be kickin' his way here soon." Chris winked.

Gourmand appeared, being hit by Martn and Hopster's kicks. Mina and Chris hid quickly.

"Told ya," Chris whispered.

The chef stood up, with pain on his stomach.

"You shouldn't mess with red kangaroos, Gourmand. Their kicks are powerfully dangerous," Martin said.

Gourmand growled at him. "Not as dangerous as my doughballs!" He picked up his doughball gun and started trying to hit Martin and Hopster.

"Uh-oh!" Martin gulped, and jumped away from there. Mina, Chris and Spring looked at each other.

Martin and Hopster jumped as far as they could, but Gourmand kept shooting doughballs in their direction.

"Don't think you'll stop me this time, Blue Berry. I'll have my kangaroo delicacy, no matter what cost!"

"Over my dead body you are!" Martin growled, jumping to avoid the doughballs. One of them hit Hopster, trapping his tail on the floor.

Martin gasped at that, and turned around to face Gourmand.

"I warned you, Gourmand! Kangaroo feet are powerfully dangerous!" Martin was ready to kick him on the stomach again, but he didn't count on a doughball deactivating his suit.

"But human feet are not," Gourmand chuckled evilly, going after Hopster. But the chef didn't count on Mina and Spring jumping on his back.

"Ugh! Make them stop! Grr! Stop right now!"

Martin was helped by Chris, and they both walked to Mina.

"That's what I call hopping to the rescue," The Kratt in blue commented, making Mina blush.

* * *

"Mission accomplished," Chris said, as Hopster said good-bye to the team, and Spring and Mina said good-bye as well.

"Can we get a race next time we met?" the joey asked.

"Anytime, Spring." Mina embraced the joey. "Anytime."

"Guess Gourmand will never try cooking roos again. I'm glad my Hopper Boots were useful," Aviva said.

"And I'm glad you fixed the thermostat," Bite-Size said. "I was sweating inside my bat box."

Hopster left the HQ with his joey, jumping back to his territory.

"There they go. Living free and in the-" Chris started saying, until Mina jumped on his back with the Hopper Boots' help.

"Don't you mean... hopping free and in the wild?" she joked, making the team laugh.


	28. Episode 29: When Kratt was Kratt

It stopped raining, and the Tortuga was in the park again. Bite-Size shivered in fear in his bat box.

"Storm's over, Bite-Size. You can come out now," Koki told him. The little brown bat peeped out of his bat box.

"Thank goodness," he sighed in relief. "That was scary with all the lightning and thunder."

"I know how you get about thunderstorms, my friend. But you're safe inside."

"And like they always say: 'There's a rainbow after every storm!'" Martin exclaimed, opening the screen windows. Outside, there was a long, colorful rainbow in the sky.

"Wow, Aunt Iris really outdone herself this time," Mina commented in amazement.

"I heard that there's a pot of gold where the rainbow ends," Jimmy said. "And I also heard about double rainbows."

"Double rainbows are really rare," Chris informed him. "And a pot of gold... after meeting Mina, I'm not sure on that one." Mina laughed at that.

"Well, the pot of gold part is false," she explained, "but Aunt Iris does put something at the end of all her rainbows."

"Cool! It would be fun doing a rainbow hunt!" Martin suggested, jumping of excitement.

"Then last one there's an unlucky leprechaun!" Chris shouted before dashing out the door.

"Hey, wait for me!"

"I'm not going to be unlucky!" Jimmy called out, following them.

"And neither are we!" The girls exclaimed before going in pursuit. Bite-Size flew after everyone. Martin and Chris were already neck and neck and heading down the hill.

"I'm gonna win, lil' bro!" Martin told his younger sibling.

"Not today, bro!" Chris responded, sprinting with all his might. Martin put all his leg strength to stay next to him. The end of the colorful arch came into view. "I see the end!" He pulled out a pair of binoculars. "I can't tell what the item is! The rainbow's too bright! But it's pretty big!"

"And I'm gonna beat you to it!"

"Oh no, you're not!" Unfortunately, Chris tripped over a rock he didn't see and instinctively grabbed Martin's shirt as he fell. Both brothers rolled down the hill in a tangled ball. An exposed ramp like rock was in their direction and they shot through the air and through the rainbow. When they landed, they tumbled for a bit before coming to a complete stop. They collapsed on their backs. "That... wasn't part of the plan."

"Definitely not." That's when they realized their voices... weren't their respective ones.

Chris and Martin gasped as they looked at each other. Chris had Martin's blue eyes and Martin had Chris's hazel eyes. Not to mention that their shirts had swapped colors. Their voices remained the same in their bodies, though.

"Chris?"

"Martin?" They shivered before they snapped out of it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" they screamed in panic.

* * *

Having returned to the Tortuga, the swapped brothers were pacing in panic around the control room. The rest of the crew could only watch in worry.

"This cannot be happening. This CANNOT be happening!" Maris (Martin/Chris) squeaked in Chris's voice.

"This isn't happening. This ISN'T happening!" Chritin (Chris/Martin) said in Martin's voice.

"Guys, you need to calm down," Aviva tried to assure them. "Luna is right now asking Iris how to reverse your apparent 'body swap'. She should be back in a little bit." As if on cue, Luna came in through a portal. Both brothers immediately went over to her.

"What did she say? What did she say? WHAT DID SHE SAY?!" they both panicked, startling the owl.

"Um, well, Iris had told me that this wasn't the first time this happened. There were many times that people swapped bodies by crossing her rainbows." she explained. "And every rainbow has an hourglass in case of this sort of situation. Did you get it before the rainbow disappeared?"

"Right here," Koki answered, showing a gold framed hourglass with golden sand. A little of the sand was already on the bottom. "It was just where the rainbow ended. Is it some kind of enchanted hourglass?"

"Very enchanted. It counts down the time the sun is up. The Kratt Brothers will have to cross through another rainbow before the all the sand runs to the bottom, or else..."

"Or else what?" Maris asked with a worried tone.

"You'll be stuck as each other... forever." Everyone gasped.

"FOREVER?!" the Kratt Brothers shrieked.

"Yes."

Both siblings fainted.

"How will we find another rainbow in that amount of time?" Mina asked.

"Any refraction rainbows will actually work. It just needs to be big enough."

"Refraction?"

"What's refraction?" Bite-Size asked. Chritin just kept biting his fingernails, fearing not returning to his body while Maris was about to cry.

"It's when a wave is bent when it enters a medium where its speed is different," Koki said, looking up the information on the monitor. "Basically speaking, the subject is bent to look different because its speed changed. When light is refracted, it splits into the seven colors of the rainbow. That's what rainbows are according to science: refracted light."

"And that's why they appear after it rains," Aviva added. "The light is refracted by the raindrops and creates an image."

"Yeah, Aunt Iris works along with Grandpa Zeus and Uncle Helios. When Grandpa makes it rain, sometimes Uncle Helios shines his light as well, so Aunt Iris joins them to create a rainbow," Mina explained.

"You think we can use these theories to help the Kratt bros?" Bite-Size asked.

"It will take a while, but we'll find a way of helping them. Till then, you guys will have to deal with this," Aviva said. Chritin and Maris stared at each other, gulping.

"Oh, guys, it's almost time for our Training session," Mina noticed. "We better hurry up."

* * *

Outside the Tortuga, close to the frogs' lake, the team prepared itself for training.

Chritin and Maris grabbed their respective medallions before joining the others outside. However, things didn't quite work out because they weren't even working!

"Hey, is something wrong with my medallion?" Chritin asked, looking at the jewels in his.

"Mine too," Maris followed.

"Maybe it's because you're not in your respective bodies," Mina theorized. "Try switching and we'll see what happens." Hesitantly, the brothers swapped medallions.

"Now we're talking!" Maris observed the medallion glowing.

He then tried to make a vine grow, but nothing was happening. "Huh?" Then he thought about how much concentration Chris has to do. Focusing on making a vine made his head hurt a little. He wasn't the thinking brother after all. A vine about a foot long came out of the ground. Maris smiled at this.

With Chritin, he just simply thought about it and a stream of water came flying by his head. Unfortunately, he wasn't used to this and the stream hit Koki, flattening her hair.

"Whoops, sorry Koki," he apologized. The swapped younger brother looked at the blue medallion. "So just thinking about it, even briefly, triggers it."

"That's possibly because mine reacts more to emotion than thought. So you be careful of what you think about."

"And you have to take it slow. Try making grass grow quickly first, then try on vines," Chritin recommended.

"Okay." Maris put a hand on the grass and focused. Almost instantly, the grass became two inches taller. "Yes! I did it!"

"Nice job bro. Now it's my turn." Chritin relaxed and simply flexed his wrist. Water began to circle around it like it was a giant ring. Chritin smiled and with a single finger, made the ring spin. "This is pretty cool."

"I know, right?"

"Well, they're getting the hang of each other's powers," Mina observed. "But something tells me that this will not be the only problem they'll face today..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Zach arrived with his plane, looking for some animal for his new inventions.

"Bring up the Wild Kratts!" he ordered his computer. "Maybe they're hanging with some creature that I can use."

The monitor brings up the crew currently training. What threw him off were the swapped colors of the brothers.

"What's this? Blue Boy and Green Guy switching it up?... No way, even as kids they always wore those respective colors. Zachbots, see what's going on over there."

* * *

The Zachbot peeked from behind a nearby tree.

"So how much time do we still have to find another rainbow?" Chritin asked, though to Zach it was Martin in a green shirt. Mina looked at the hourglass standing nearby.

"About ten hours," she responded. "We've got a lot of time to find a rainbow big enough for you two."

"That's good, 'cause I don't want to be stuck as my little brother forever," Maris said, though it looked like it was Chris in a blue shirt to Zach. That line got the evil inventor even more confused.

"Has Green Guy finally lost it?"

"Yeah, the sooner we cross the rainbow, the sooner things will be back to normal. Being who we are in the right bodies." Chritin said.

"And really Chris, how can you stand the collar so high up?" Maris tugged at the collar before zipping it lower.

"Well, I don't see how this is any more comfortable, Martin." Chritin grabbed his zipper and zipped it up. "Much better." Back at his plane, Zach was realizing their situation and began smiling evilly.

"So it appears the two Rat Brothers have gone through a switcharoo," he mused. "And if they don't cross any yucky, cute rainbows, they'll be like that for the rest of their lives. Oh, this is the perfect way to get revenge for that humiliation in Japan. Zachbot, return to the ship. I got an idea for something that'll... darken the mood." Zach laughed hysterically.

* * *

Several hours later, the boys walked around the park to clear up their minds.

"I really hope we find a rainbow soon," Maris said, while he and Chritin walked around the park. Chritin nodded in agreement.

"Look! The Kratt Brothers!" Two girls were approaching them. "Guys, can you give us your autograph?" They were saying.

"Uh-oh," Chritin whispered. "We're in trouble. They'll suspect us when we sign the pictures. I'm left-handed and you're right-handed."

"Don't worry. I have a plan." Maris winked. He whistled the Wild Kratts theme song and Bite-Size came. He heard Maris's plan and flied on the girls' direction.

"Hi, girls! Long time no see!"

"Hi, Bite-Size!" The girls recognized Bite-Size from the time he became human and helped them. While they petted and talked with the little brown bat, Maris and Chritin acted fast and signed the girls' pictures, gave the signatures to them and received lots of fangirl squeals.

"Phew. That was close," Chritin sighed, after the girls were gone. "Thanks, Bite-Size."

"No problemo." The brown bat saluted with his wing.

With that, he flew back to the Tortuga. Suddenly, they heard something rustling in nearby bushes. When they looked, they saw their beaver pal Sticker looking around for something. Maris was about to say hi, but for some reason, Chritin was the one that went to the beaver.

"Hey Sticker," he greeted him. "Lodge still sturdy?" The swapped older brother only stared. His little brother was acting like... him. Like he WAS him.

Sticker didn't seem to notice anything different. He just looked at them and returned to work.

Suddenly, Chritin noticed something different on a tree nearby. It was...gray?

Then it flashed red. Chritin gasped before grabbing Sticker and pulling him away before a robotic arm could grab him.

"Zachbot!" he exclaimed. The Zachbot then retreated into the thicket. "Zach's back." Putting Sticker down, he attempted to run after the robot, but Maris caught his collar.

"Woah! Where are you going?"

"To find out where Zach is hiding!"

"Without a plan?" Chritin turned to his brother, surprised by what he said.

"Since when do you think about having a plan?"

"Since when do you dash off after a Zachbot the first chance you get?"

"I always think."

"And I always just go in." Realization hit them like a freight train, making their eyes widen in shock.

"Oh no," they both said.

* * *

The Kratts then made a mad dash back to the Tortuga. "LUNA!" the two screamed. The owl looked their way.

"What's the matter, brothers?" she asked them.

"We have a problem!" She noticed the worry in their expressions.

"Well, two problems actually," Maris said. "The first is that Zach is here and was spying on us earlier."

"Not again," Aviva commented.

"But that's not the worst," Chritin added. "I don't know why, but I think we're..." He gripped his head. "Becoming each other."

"'Becoming each other'?" Jimmy questioned. "As in Chris is becoming Martin and vice versa?" They both nodded.

"Oh dear," Luna said worriedly. "Iris was afraid of this. This happened to previous pairs of people who crossed the rainbow. Their real selves start slipping away from their current bodies and the seemingly original personality the body replaces it. And with every few grains of sand that falls down the hourglass, your true selves are disappearing. If we don't get you two in your right bodies, not only will you remain in them forever, but..."

"We'll also lose the real Chris and Martin permanently?" Mina asked.

"I'm afraid so."

"Our real selves?" Chritin started to panic.

"Gone forever?" Maris followed.

Chritin started crying and flooded the Tortuga. "I don't wanna be like this forever! Not that it isn't good, but I like being me!"

"Hey, stop! You're flooding the HQ!" Maris complained.

The swapped little brother managed to lower it to a few sniffles. Tears still ran down a little.

"Sorry. It really is getting harder to control my emotions. I just can't seem to get a grip on myself." Maris put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, no matter what happens, we're still going to be brothers. No rainbow can change that. And I'll be right by you, thick and thin." Chritin smiled at him.

"Thanks bro."

Chritin's sprigs started to move. "Uh-oh... my, I mean, your sprigs are moving!"

"That one means a storm is coming. But that can't be right. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky." Maris suddenly felt pain in his head, making him grip it. In his mind, he saw Zach laughing like a maniac as there was a flash of lightning. Then it showed the sun setting with the brothers still in each other's bodies. When the vision ended, Maris started breathing in deep. Chritin had his hands on his shoulders.

"Martin, you okay?"

"No. I just saw Zach with the storm. And the sun going down. With us still in the wrong bodies."

"Oh no! We gotta hurry, and stop him! Whatever he's doing, it can't be good!"

* * *

Zach was joyfully stealing colors from the park with his new invention, leaving it gray, black and white.

Zach evilly laughed. "This park looks a lot better without all those obnoxious colors. Not to mention the Rat Brothers won't be able to switch back afterwards."

"Zach, stop!" Chritin shouted. The rest of the Wild Kratts were right behind him. "What are you doing stealing all the park's color?"

"I'm making sure you two Rat Brothers never return to normal." Both brothers' eyes widened.

"How did you...?" Maris stammered.

"I knew immediately from the shirts. Can't believe those ignorant girls didn't notice the difference." Bite-Size glared at him.

"Hey! No one calls them ignorant!" the brown bat snapped.

"Just return the color to the park, Zach!" Chritin commanded.

"Nah, I think I'll hold onto them. So I can destroy them!" Varmitech flew out of reach. "And now for stage two! Activate the storm machine!" From inside Zach's plane, a Zachbot pressed a red button, which released a ginormous storm cloud. It completely blocked the sun and it began to flash with lightning, followed by thunder. "No light, no icky rainbows." He laughed with vice again as there was another lightning bolt. Maris recognized this scene, making him gasp.

"This is the same as in the vision," he murmured.

"Oh no! We only have thirty minutes till the sun sets!" Chritin started to panic. "We'll never clear it in time!"

"Oh, yeah? Let's see how this storm machine leads with me!" Aviva touched her medallion and started making a wind to send the clouds away. It was tougher than it looked.

"If there's one thing I learned about nature that I will never forget... is that nature is above technology!" With all her might, she made a powerful burst of wind that broke through the cloud. The storm machine started malfunctioning. Unfortunately for Zach, his hover device was rocked by the wave of when it exploded, making him drop the device all the to the ground. Maris caught it with a vine.

"Ow! My eyes!" The evil inventor screamed at the sudden exposure to the light. As he retreated, he shouted, "I'll get you Wild Rats!"

"That's Wild Kratts!" Everyone yelled.

"Awesome job Aviva!" Chritin complimented the good inventor.

"You sure showed Zach!" Maris added.

"Thanks guys," she said to them before retrieving the color stealing invention. "Now let there be color!" The moment she opened the storage cockpit, an explosion of color shot out. As everything returned to normal, the team cheered. That's when Maris realized the sun.

"Oh no, the sun!" he cried out. Everyone looked to see the sun going down.

"Only one minute left!" Mina said, holding the hourglass.

"Prism to the rescue!" Luna flew in the sun's direction, holding a prism she borrowed from Iris. A refracted rainbow appeared.

"We got one shot, bro! Let's hope we make it!" Chritin said and the bros held each other's hands, passing through it in the nick of time.

Both tumbled to the ground when they felt a head rush. They still were hand-in-hand. The sun disappeared in the horizon just as the last grain of sand fell to the bottom of the hourglass. Chris(?) opened an eye, revealing hazel and not blue. His shirt was also back to being green.

"Did we make it? Did it work?" he asked. The crew smiled down at them. Martin's blue eyes shot open at the sound of Chris's voice not coming him. His shirt had also become blue again. The brothers sat up and looked at each other. Both were happy at what they saw.

"Martin?"

"Chris?"

"We made it!" they both exclaimed, embracing each other. The rest of the team joined in.

"And just in time!" Luna pointed out. She used her talons to grab the hourglass. "I think I'll return this hourglass to Iris, too. Bite-Size, do you think you can carry the prism for me?"

"Sure I can!" the little flying mammal said and picked up the prism of glass with his feet.

"Oh, and Mina!"

"Yeah?" Mina said, coming over to her.

"Iris wanted me to give these to the brothers." Using her beak, she pulled out a string with two hourglasses about the size of a cherry with no stem. One was yellow and the other was blue. Both had matching sand in them. The remainder of the team came over. "These hourglasses are filled with a special sand. Both can show events of the past."

"Show past events?" Chris asked.

"Yes. The yellow shows events that took place in the daytime and the blue one for night. Both will run for a few minutes before all the sand is on the other side and can only be used twice a day. You can even give it dates in the past if you want to be specific." Martin received the two hourglasses and handed the yellow one to Chris.

"Tell Iris 'thank you' for us please," he requested.

"I'll make sure to tell her." Luna started taking flight.

"And I won't take long here! This thing's heavy," Bite-Size added. A portal opened for them. "See ya later!" With that, both animals flew through.

"You know, despite all the problems, it was kind of fun being you," Chris commented, patting his brother on the shoulder.

"I don't think 'crying a flash flood' was fun for you," Martin said with a smirk.

"And I suppose getting a headache from just thinking alone is?"

"Hey! You know me!"

"Of course I know you! Because I _was_ you!" The team laughed as the stars started becoming visible.


	29. Episode 30: Through Mint and Minds

The glistening snowflakes fell to a quiet forest in Canada. One certain snowflake was based on the pattern of the WK symbol. The little pink tongue of Mina caught it and retracted them into her mouth.

"Sweet," she commented with a giggle.

Martin tried sneaking behind her, but her super hearing enabled her to hear him. She smirked secretly, and pretended to not notice. When he was within a few inches, the hybrid swiftly turned around and tackled him to the ground. "Ha! Gotcha, bro!"

"I keep forgetting that you can hear as well as a raccoon," the blue Kratt said with a smile. Chris laughed as he came up to his siblings.

"I told you it wouldn't work," he told Martin.

Mina just observed all the snow around them. "Ever felt like... naming all the snowflakes you can?"

"Actually, I did that once," Martin admitted. "Only for Chris to melt one and I had to save him."

"Did you have to tell her that part?" Chris asked a little annoyed. The older brother just giggled.

"Whatever, dude. And speaking of snow..." The eldest Kratt held out his hands and began moving them in a circular motion. A snowball began to form in between them. "Check this out." Throwing it into the air, it dispersed into little flakes of blue. His little siblings watched in amazement.

"I saw this movie with Aviva!" Mina recognized the reference her brother made. "So cute and the songs were great!"

"I know! And here's another reference for you, little sister!" He stamped a foot on the ground and the ground in a twelve foot radius was coated with a smooth sheet of ice. Immediately, the three Kratts were sliding along like they were on an ice rink.

"That movie sure was cool… I just felt bad about the snow queen hiding her feelings. She did it to protect her little sister, but still..." Martin commented as Mina slipped a bit on the ice. The Water Guardian was swift to catch her.

"Hey, we act like that a lot too, bro. Well, mostly me," Chris said, remembering the "Chris-tal Clear" expedition. "I know exactly how she felt too. To lose someone because of something yourself did." The Earth Guardian stood still on the ice, head hanging low in shame. "I had never felt so scared or guilty in my life. I really thought you were lost forever when you..." Martin skated over to him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, don't be like that," he said. "I'm okay. I was just glad I saved you from Donita. Just the thought of you as her slave was I could think about. But I promise, little brother. Nothing like that will ever happen again." Chris looked up at him with a sincere smile. Suddenly, Mina heard something moving in the snow.

"Bros, I think something's coming,"she told them. They looked in the direction of her line of sight. The figure was small and white.

"Might be a snowshoe hare," Martin concluded.

"No, too big," Chris corrected him.

"And it sounds like it walks on two feet," Mina added. The little white figure became visible out of the white woods. The three stood surprised. The figure was... a snowman with feet?

"Hi there!" he greeted cheerfully in a cute little boy voice.

"Uh... hi," they returned with a wave, still getting over the fact that a snowman- more like snowboy- was walking and talking to them. The little snowboy had black eyes and a baby carrot for his nose. A bit of snow was shaped to look like windswept hair on his round head. His oval shaped center had two black buttons and the top button looked like a green peppermint. He had skinny twig arms no thicker than a pinkie. Plus, his little legs/feet were stubby.

The Kratt Brothers didn't know why, but they felt like they've seen this snowboy somewhere before.

"Wow, it's great to see new faces here. I don't see a lot of people besides Athy." The nickname rang a bell to the hybrid.

"You mean, 'Athena'?" she asked. The snowboy's eyes seemed to glow.

"Wow, you know Athy? That's awesome!" Mina giggled at his enthusiasm.

"She's my aunt."

"Even better!" He gasped in realization. "You're a nymph!"

"Well, half nymph now. I'm Mina. And these are my older brothers, Chris and Martin."

"I'm Minty and I like giving handshakes!" Minty held out his thin arm of twig. Mina happily took his hand and shook on it.

That name. That line. The bros knew they heard them somewhere. Then it came to them. This snowboy looked like...

"Minty?" both elder siblings said in recognition.

A flashback from their childhood came to their minds…

* * *

 _Little Martin and Chris were playing in the snow in the early morning. Chris helped building the head and Martin worked on the body. Out of buttons when it was nearly done, Martin put a peppermint candy to finish their job._

 _"What are we gonna call him, Martin?" Chris asked. "Martin?" He looked around and saw his big brother wasn't by his side, but behind the small snowman._

 _"Hi, I'm Minty and I like giving handshakes!" Martin said with a different voice, moving the snowman's arm. Chris laughed as he shook the snowman's hand._

 _"Well, hello Minty!"_

* * *

The Minty now looked up at them. "That's me!" he answered them. "Shake on it for fun?" He held an arm out to them. Setting back into reality, Chris was the first to kneel down to his level and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Minty," he said calmly, when he was still debating inside. _'No, don't be silly,'_ one part of his brain thought. _'There's no way it's OUR Minty from all those years ago. He melted. Besides, this one said he knows Athena. What are the odds?' 'Well, it's still a possibility,'_ the other side said. _'Don't be ridiculous.' 'Like you can prove otherwise.'_ When Chris let go, it was Martin's turn.

"Hey Minty," the blonde greeted. _'Can it be... No, it couldn't be...'_

"I see you like my little surprise, Kratt Brothers," a familiar voice was heard. It was Athena. The goddess had on a silk white coat that went well with her dress.

"Hey Athy!" Minty warmly greeted.

"Aunt Athena!" Mina said cheerfully. "It's great to see you again!"

"And on better terms than the incident with Nick Baker," Chris added.

"Yes, this is a much better meeting," the goddess of wisdom commented.

"Hey Athena, how did you know how to build Minty?" Martin asked. "Because he looks exactly like the one Chris and I built as kids." The snowboy's happy expression seemed to waver a bit. That didn't go unnoticed by the nymph.

"I didn't build Minty. But he had become a good friend of mine when he was forced to leave his creators behind." The little sister caught on with where she was going with having Minty with them.

"Chris and Martin?" she questioned. Athena nodded. "So..." Mina looked at the snowboy, "this is the same Minty they built?"

"But... how? He... melted," Chris asked, slightly confused.

Minty's happy expression changed into a sad one a few seconds after that statement. "No, I didn't," he mumbled softly. "That one was just a replica to false-safe your memories. Not that it was all truths to begin with." The brothers looked at each other with unsure looks before looking back at the snowboy.

"We don't understand," Martin said. "Are you saying that things in our past were lies? That what we remember never happened?"

"Well, not exactly. They did happen, but certain details were replaced."

"And what were those details?"

"I think it's better that the whole crew knows," Athena told them. "It's something that must be finally revealed. Especially to you, Brothers Kratt."

"Okay. Let's get inside." The five start heading up the ramp to the entrance. The blonde then realized something. "Oh! Hold on, Minty." With a flick of a hand, a small snow cloud appeared above Minty. Little blue snowflakes were gently falling down from it. "Can't have you melting in the Tortuga."

"Thanks, Martin," he responded. As they all got inside, two wolf shaped shadows watched from afar. Both had golden eyes.

"At long last, after so many years," one said in a deep, ominous voice.

"We've found them," the other added with a low, raspy voice.

"Our future vessels," they finished.

* * *

"Okay, Athena. Whatever you have to tell, tell it now," Chris said. "We don't have secrets between us. Only minor ones, but that's not the case."

"Yes, it's about time you remember," she confessed.

"Remember?"

"First things first. Come here boys." Chris and Martin came up to her. She placed a hand on their foreheads and then whispered something in Latin. After reciting the spell, a sudden rush of power overcame them. They gasped at the feeling. When it died down, both took in deep, slow breaths.

"What was... that?" Martin asked.

"It was a special seal I had placed many years ago. I had just removed them."

"Wait. We met before the Nick Baker incident?" the brunette brother questioned.

"We have. And it was at both your requests for me to place those seals. They locked up your... natural powers and any memory related to them."

"What? The Kratt Brothers had superpowers?" Jimmy asked really surprised.

"Well, for a normal human, that would be the term for them. But in the magic world, it is spiritual inheritance. Both brothers were born with these powers, but that made them a target for..."

"For who?" Aviva and Koki questioned simultaneously.

"... Two lone Lupus Phantasma." Mina gasped at that name.

"Phantom Wolves?!" she cried in shock.

"Well, our sister Clarissa is a wolf as well, due to an incident with a ghost wolf called Faust," Martin pointed out.

"You think he's a Lupus Phantasma as well?" Chris asked.

"He might be. And maybe Darius is one too."

"What is a 'Lupus Phantasma' anyway?" Jimmy asked, totally confused.

"Meaning 'Phantom Wolves' in Latin, they are creatures of the shadows that take the form of wolves," Athena explained. "Like normal wolves, they live in packs, but some leave or are banished and become lone wolves. Most of the time, these lone wolves had gone rogue for them to be banished from the pack. And these wolves are usually evil. Darius and the two after the brothers are no different. Faust is the only exception because he knew he had to stop him."

"So what do the two other lone wolves want from the Kratt Bros?" Aviva asked.

"Their powers. And in order to do that, they... have to possess them."

"WHAT?!" the crew shouted.

"Possess them?!" Mina yelled.

"Which is one reason why I placed those seals on the siblings so they have no more reason for them and can't find them."

"One reason? There's more?" Chris asked.

"Do not worry, Christopher. Yours and Martin's memories will repair overtime. It won't take long." Suddenly, the Tortuga lights started flickering. Everyone looked around to see who might be responsible, but no one was there.

"Guys, something dark and viscous is attacking!" the nymph said, now feeling the dark tension coming from outside.

"It's them!" Minty cried. "They found them!"

"How can we fight them?" Chris asked, starting to panic. "Besides Darius, we never faced wolves like them."

"I will tell you. You and your brother have fought them off before. And both of you were very young. And now that you and your friends are Guardians, you are stronger and can fend against a pack of Lupus Phantasma." The bros were surprised to hear that they had fought the two shadows in their past. They didn't remember it, but they didn't question the goddess of wisdom as the crew went outside to confront the wolves.

* * *

"We were young? Like Heracles, when he fought two snakes?" Chris was shocked and surprised. So little and already so powerful? And what were those powers they were born with?

As the Wild Kratts exited the HQ, two shadows approached them slowly. "Well, well, well," one mused slowly. "Looks like our future vessels are all grown up."

"And are even Nature Guardians to boot," the other pointed out. "Makes me really want them now."

"Indeed, Paris. They are worth a lot more then when they were brats. Much more power than before. And those powers shall be ours."

"Forget it!" Aviva yelled. "Neither of you are possessing the Kratt Brothers! We won't let you!"

"Well, what do we have here? Three more Guardians."

"Too bad we can only take over one at a time."

"And that won't happen anytime!" Koki snapped and then threw a fireball at them. The wolves quickly dodged.

"You'll only get them over our dead bodies!" Aviva said.

Both Lupus Phantasma growled.

"Very well. Shall we dine tonight, Paris?"

"Yes, dine on sweet power, Maximilian." Both pounced at the team, but immediately slammed into a wall of what felt like glass. In reality, it was quartz that Chris created.

"You're really getting the hang of that," Martin complimented.

"Thanks bro," the brunette replied. Paris and Maximilian shook off the throbbing in their skulls.

"We see that the brat one has learned a few new tricks. Should've expected something like this from them."

"What did we ever do to you guys?" Martin asked.

"It's not what you did-"

"Actually, that is part of the reason," Paris interrupted.

"Okay, so it is, but it's mostly about what you have. Two brothers born with the powers of Nature Guardians. Do you know how rare children like that are? There's barely any left."

"So you two are very special. Especially now that you are Guardians. We want your power. Nothing matters to us but power, specifically."

"As for what you did, we lost TWICE to the likes of you, as children! Do you know how humiliating that is?!"

"Uh, thing is, we don't even remember you two," Chris admitted. "So we don't really know what you're talking about."

"What? How can you forget about us?"

"Athena had some sort of seal on us that, according to her, erased our memories of having any powers as kids, and locked the powers themselves. They were just now removed."

"So that explains why we couldn't find you after so many years. That goddess of wisdom got in the way by blocking off your magical signal. But when you became Guardians, we picked you up again. And now, we meet again."

"If only I can remember..." Chris said. Suddenly, something sparked in his mind.

* * *

 _He was wailing at the top of his little lungs. Something fast had him trapped in his green blanket. He heard yells of protest not far away. Suddenly, his captor fell forward, accidentally flinging him into the air._

 _"CHRIS!" two voices shrieked, one a woman's and another a young boy. As the crying child fell back down, the blanket unraveled to show a boy no older than 10 months. A twisty vine suddenly popped out of the ground and caught the little Chris. It retracted to the ground until a blonde boy with blue eyes ran up and scooped him into his arms._

 _"Oh Chris, thank goodness you're all right," the boy sighed in relief. Chris only clung onto his blue shirt. "If you ever come near Chris again, I will turn you into popsicles!" A low growl followed, making the baby tighten his grip._

 _"Don't think we won't come back!" A viscous voice barked before the sound of running paws faded away._

* * *

Chris stood there frozen in shock. Maximilian's voice... was the same as his captor. He had kidnapped him when he was a baby and something saved him. But where did that vine come from? And what did his brother mean by 'turning them into popsicles'?

And he couldn't have been the one controlling the vine. After all, he only received this power when he became a Nature Guardian. And there was no way he could do that as an infant, even with powers. Someone else besides his brother helped him, but who?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the quartz cracking. The two lone wolves were breaching the wall. The green Kratt tried to hold his ground, but the barrier was broken through. The shadows came charging at them. Aviva used her wind power to give them a wind slap in the face, throwing them back. But then, something sparked in Martin's mind.

* * *

 _Two wolf like creatures were trying to break a barrier of ice around him, his mom and 10 month old brother, who was beginning to cry. 4 year old Martin had his hands out forward in order to keep the barrier strong, but they eventually broke it. One dashed forward and snatched the blanket out of his mom's arms._

 _"CHRIS!" they both screamed. The baby in the blanket cried even louder. Martin and Mrs. Kratt ran after them, yelling at the kidnappers to give him back. Overcome with anger, the blonde came to a sudden stop. He knew what he had to do._

 _"LET HIM GO!" he screeched and stomped his foot on the ground. Instantly, the ground straight in front of him was covered in ice all the way to the wolves. The wolf with his brother slipped like he hoped, but the beast had thrown Chris into the air._

 _"CHRIS!" he and his mom shrieked. Suddenly, a vine sprung up and caught him then began to retract back into the soil. Martin ran up to him and took his little brother into his arms, relieved he was not harmed._

 _"Oh Chris, thank goodness you're all right," he sighed. The blue brother felt Chris latch onto his shirt. Then he glared angrily at the shadows. "If you ever come near Chris again, I will turn you into popsicles!" The one that had his brother growled. Chris's grip tightened._

 _"Don't think we won't come back!" he barked before both of them retreated._

* * *

Martin didn't know what to think. Those lone wolves had kidnapped Chris and he saved him. With ice powers. Was _that_ his power? And where did that vine come from?

Athena kept observing them. She remembered Zeus' choice before he and Hermia sent the Elemental Gems away. It felt like yesterday, yet it was many years ago. Actually around the time Flora died.

* * *

 _"She gave her life to save us all... but it's not over yet," Zeus stated, looking at the Elemental Gems and a scepter. Hermia carefully held a young, sleeping Mina, while Athena observed with a worried face. "In some point in the future, the Fates saw Eris' return, and in the same vision, they saw five mortal brave ones fighting to defeat her."_

 _"You think..." Athena was saying, until Zeus interrupted her._

 _"Yes. Their spirits have returned to the mortal world. In some point of the future, these new Guardians will appear, inheriting their pasts' powers... and hope."_

 _"But won't these powers be frightful to mortals? Remember: Heracles was not accepted at first," Hermia said._

 _"Their powers will be shown at the right time, some first, some later. But we'll have to be sure they don't fall into the wrong hands," Zeus stated. The King of the gods turned to Athena. "Athena, my daughter, I select you to protect two of the spiritual heirs. I feel that others of the magical realm will want to use them for their evil purposes. Make sure that they are safe from them."_

 _"I accept my mission, father," the goddess responded. That day set her first meeting with the brothers._

* * *

As the Guardians continued to fend off the shadows, Athena focused on the brothers.

"I have protected you then..." she murmured. "And I still protect you today. That will never change..." An image came into her head. It showed two smiling males wearing certain blue and green robes. Athena put a hand on the glass. "Terra... Aqua..."

* * *

"I can't keep the quartz coming much longer!" Chris felt himself kneeling in weakness.

"My turn!" Martin touched his medallion and while creating a resistant ice barrier and sending ice attacks in the Lupus Phantasma's direction.

The wolves dodged the assault. Maximilian growled. "We'll leave this time! But don't rest assure that we won't return!" he barked before he and Paris jogged off. Another memory came to the brothers.

* * *

 _The two were ice skating on a frozen lake in the nearby woods. Their snowboy pal Minty was seated near the shore. As the brothers skated merrily, two shadows in the darkness slowly approached them. Little Chris saw them and was instantly scared. One looked like he was ready to pounce._

 _"MARTIN, BEHIND YOU!" the brunette screamed. Martin turned around and the wolf with gold eyes lunged forward. The blonde screamed in terror before unleashing an icy wind at the beast. It blew the monster back into a tree. The blue brother began skating as fast he could to the other side of the lake, taking Chris's hand._

 _"Come on, bro!" he told him as they ran for it. Luckily, they knew the woods well and stayed on their trail. Unfortunately, one of the beasts were right behind them and another got in their path. Yelping in fear, they ran off the path and soon found themselves in a clearing. The wolves managed to corner them in the center. One of the shadows chuckled evilly._

 _"Now we got you," he said._

 _"I told you to not think we won't come back," the other taunted. Both brothers were scared. Then, the beasts pounced. The Kratts shrieked and embraced each other. Suddenly, a dome of ice and vines with thorns enveloped them and the wolves slammed into it. They stepped on the thorns and yelped before stepping away. One of them growled._

 _"You can't defend yourselves forever! We will come back for you soon!" Both monsters finally left. The brother still held each other close as they lowered their defense._

 _"Martin? When will they leave us alone?" Chris cried softly. His brother only gave him a sympathetic look._

 _"I don't know, bro. But I do know that I won't let anything happen to you." Suddenly, there was a bright light. Chris made a vine with a huge leaf grow to try and protect their eyes._

 _"What's going on?" Martin asked himself. After the flash died down, he found himself in his bed. "Wh-wha...?" It was strange. He felt like he was doing something earlier that morning, but what?_

 _"Martin," Chris called as the opened the door. "Do you want to play outside again after breakfast?" Now he remembered. He and his little brother woke up earlier than usual to play in the snow. The blonde looked out the window, seeing the snowboy in the same spot in the yard where they left him. He felt like something else happened, but he couldn't put his finger on it and so shrugged it off._

 _"Sure, bro."_

 _"Yay!"_

* * *

They stood for a while before they heard their team calling them.

* * *

"We better put the Tortuga on lockdown," Chris said, once they got inside. Koki agreed, pushing some buttons and locking the Tortuga.

Athena looked at the screen. "They will find a way to get in."

"How?" Aviva asked.

"They're living shadows. They'll be able to breach the ventilation system and get inside."

"Athena, we remember them," Martin told the goddess. "They once took Chris and I saved him. With..." He looked down at his gloved hands.

"Ice powers. I am aware of that. And Chris saved himself from a fall."

"Wait. That vine? That WAS me?" Chris asked incredulously, looking at his own hands.

"Yes. Your brother inherited the power of ice and you inherited the power of life."

"But I thought we only got powers after we became Guardians. That's what Luna said." Chris looked at Luna.

"*sigh* I lied. You had those powers before you were Guardians," the owl confessed. "From the start of your lives, you always had them.

* * *

 _"But after you were attacked by the lone Lupus again... Zeus ordered it for your safety to block your powers and any memory related to them, until you were ready to use them again. Athena was sent to place the seals on you since she is your assigned guardian._

* * *

"I'm sorry for lying to you, boys. I didn't want to freak you out. Zeus believed the modern world was still not ready to reconnect to the magic world, but you proved us wrong when you defeated Zach and restored the Earth Gem. Without your powers."

The room was silent. No one dared to say a word. The tension in the air was thick. Everyone could feel it, including Minty who was peeping from another room. Martin wrapped his arms around himself in sadness.

"So everything we remember... WAS a lie," he stated.

"You must understand why we hid this," Luna said, feeling guilty. "We didn't want you to have problems. And it seemed like you haven't, besides those three troublemakers you face on a daily basis."

"Martin, think about it... we never actually needed any of our powers to do good things. I mean, look at all the animals and people we helped before we became Guardians," Chris reasoned. Her showed his brother the Wild Kratts Diary, with all their stories, even the ones from the Kratts' memory book.

"Even though your past wasn't fully happy... that's not what makes who you are. It's your future... what you chose to be."

 _*flashbacks with some of the creature rescues the Wild Kratts made*_

Martin's eyes sparkled at that.

"And you didn't need powers to make friends or a team," Aviva added, trying to lighten the mood more. "We liked you guys the way you were." Koki and Jimmy nodded in agreement.

"And your bravery, mercy, kindness, generosity, and hope saved places around the planet on many occasions," Athena told them. Martin finally smiled, taking in everyone's words.

"And powers or no powers, you're still the Wild Kratts," Minty added, coming into the room. Martin kneeled down and "ruffled" his hair like snow.

"Thanks everyone," he said softly. Suddenly, another memory came up. But this one hurt for some reason, making him grip his head in pain.

"Martin!" Chris shouted in shock.

* * *

 _Four year old Martin was making it snow in Chris's green room. The baby giggled as a tiny flake landed on his little nose. This prompted him to giggle with him. But then, he heard yelling from downstairs. Both went silent. The words were muffled, but the voices belonged to their parents. Sounded like they were arguing again._

 _Martin picked up Chris and took him downstairs with him to see what was going on. Hiding behind the door to the kitchen, where the shouts were coming from, were their sisters. When they heard Martin approaching, they turned around a little quickly with fearful expressions._

 _"What's going-" the blonde boy began to ask, but the scared look in their eyes told him to stop talking and listen. He slowly came up to a crack in the door, his little brother silent as well. Their father looked absolutely enraged and their mom looked just about close._

 _Once they finished, the four silently went back to their rooms, well, Martin taking Chris to his own. As he walked down the hall, he heard his sisters sobbing in their room. Martin knocked on their door._

 _"Girls? What's the matter?" he asked._

 _Both sisters opened the door immediately and pulled him into a hug. They had tears going down their faces. Martin managed to get a glimpse of their room. Nothing out of the ordinary except four suitcases on Susan's bed. "Are you going somewhere?" The twins looked into his eyes sadly._

 _"Yes," Christine said. "And we're not coming back." His blue eyes widened in confusion._

 _"What do you mean? We always come back from going somewhere."_

 _"Not when you're moving," Susan told him._

 _"We're moving?"_

 _"No, only me, Christine and dad." Their older brother still didn't understand._

 _"Why?" They responded by hugging him again._

 _"Just remember that we love you, big bro. And Chris too. No matter what powers you have." Suddenly, they heard stomping coming up the stairs, scaring the three siblings. Soon, their father stood above them. He gave his son a hateful glare, making him latch onto his sisters. He never looked at him like that before._

 _"Are your suitcases packed, girls?" he asked them with a grumpy tone._

 _"Y-yes, dad. W-we're ready."_

 _"Then let's get out of here." The twins let go of their little brother and grabbed their luggage. They went down the stairs solemnly with Mr. Kratt following behind. Martin attempted to follow, but his dad turned to give him another glare of hate, stopping him in his tracks. "Listen, you freak of nature, never come near my girls again. And that goes for the other freak too." Martin felt like he was torn into microscopic pieces. Mr. Kratt continued down and he disappeared. The sound of the front door slamming shut echoed for a few seconds._

 _Martin finally broke, large tears starting to fall from his eyes as he collapsed onto his sisters' now-old bedroom floor in despair. Following were loud sobs and the room suddenly getting colder. He knew he was causing it, but he didn't care. Soon, the whole room and the hallway was covered in frost and ice. "I hate these powers!" he screamed. "I HATE them!"_

* * *

When the memory ended, Martin's eyes snapped open. Every occupant in the room was staring in worry. His blue eyes stung with tears while he bit his bottom lip to keep himself from crying. The Kratt in green kneeled down to his brother's side.

"Martin, are you..." Chris was saying until Martin broke down in tears.

"He called us freaks! Our dad called us freaks, Chris!" he yelled, filled with anger and sadness and slamming his fists on the floor. A patch of ice formed where his fists were.

"He... he what?" Chris felt like his heart was stabbed with a sharp knife as tears were building up.

"He hated us! Hated our powers! That's why he left with the twins! He didn't want them or himself near us again!" As the green Kratt's tears began to fall, the blue brother calmed a little and started remembering things after his breakdown. "I started to hate myself after that. I didn't want my powers. I didn't want anything to do with magic." Another memory came through, and it was more pleasant, prompting a small smile. "Until you."

"What?"

"You're what made me like my powers again. And know how and what to use them for."

"And that's...?"

"To protect you." Chris instantly remembered Martin saving him from Maximilian. So that was how he did it. He used his powers somehow.

"I was certain of that once you helped me stand up against Zach, the one I considered the master of bullies," the Kratt in blue said. "If it wasn't for you, little bro... maybe I would be doing things for him and receive punishments for nothing. He might've even found out with enough force."

"Yeah... that was written in the memory book... you told me that if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be you." Chris's tears stopped falling as joy came to his heart.

Athena, Minty and the crew smiled as they watched. "After that day, I used them more often, usually for playing with you."

"Yeah. I'm actually starting to remember those days. We had so much fun. And I would use mine any chance I got."

"That was basically on any flowering pot with seeds you can get your hands on. And trust me, we had a lot of plants growing inside afterwards." Both started laughing. They embraced each other as the flower and snowflake appeared on their medallions and glowed powerfully from their Love for each other.

"For now on, it's official: No more secrets between our team," Aviva announced. Everyone agreed, joining hands and wings.

* * *

Meanwhile, the wolves were talking with the Dark Cloud Statue.

"I am glad not being the only one wanting to annihilate the Nature Guardians for good," the Lupus heard her distorted female voice. "Pretty soon, I'll be free, and if you join me, I'll promise you to be the ones to attack them first."

"Well, our dear lady, we do not wish to destroy two of them," Maximilian explained. "We want their powers for ourselves."

"And who are they?"

"The current Water and Earth Guardians. We have been pursuing them for decades," Paris told her.

"Hmm, describe them to me."

The wolves touched one of her clouds and showed the team to her, pointing to Martin and Chris.

"So THEY have returned to the mortal world..." the statue growled. "Along with THEM. Doesn't matter. They're going to die just like before." The statue chuckled evilly.


	30. Episode 31: What Does the Fox Say?

It was a sunny afternoon in the Central American forest. The Kratt siblings were observing some birds.

Mina awaited for her plush T-devil to be fixed.

"There you go, little sister. Good as new." Aviva gave her the toy. "Try being more careful with him, okay?"

"Okay." Mina embraced her plush toy, really happy. "I'm glad... well, that he's okay. Now I realized: we didn't gave him a name."

Without any of them noticing, a red fox sneaked into the HQ. No one seemed to notice until she bumped into a buzz bike Aviva was fixing. A tool fell on its paw, calling the others' attention.

"What was that?" Koki wondered.

"Look! There's something moving under the buzz bike," Bite-Size said.

Chris made a signal for the crew to remain silent, so they wouldn't scare whoever the creature that was hiding there. Once they were all quiet, Chris looked down and saw the red fox coming out of its hideout.

"Awww…" Aviva and Koki commented.

"Wow. A red fox," Martin said. "And look at her paw. I guess she's hurt."

"I believe this is the cause." Aviva picked up the tool that fell on the fox's paw.

"Can I name her? Can I?" Mina asked Martin.

"And what name you wanna give her?"

"Hmm... I always liked Maddie." Mina saw the fox looking at her. "And I guess she likes it too."

"Amazing. A red fox. A very rare species of fox," Martin noted. "Even though they are not endangered like other foxes, its hunting is allowed in many countries. And this excessive hunting and depredation of their natural habitat can endanger their existence. Oh, this name choice was good, Mina. "

"Thanks. I'm learning with you guys." The hybrid winked.

Jimmy ran to pick up the first-aid kit, while the rest of the crew activated their Animal Comprehension.

"You seem rather agitated. What's up?" Chris asked Maddie.

"I need to return to my pups! I'm the only family they have," Maddie answered. "My mate died some time ago, and since then, I've been taking care of them by my own..."

"I know the feeling..." Mina said, sighing and embracing her T-devil plush.

"Don't tell me there are hunters here," Chris said.

"No...it was an accident..."

*flashback*

" _We went to find food to our pups, when it soon started raining hard. A lightning hit a nearby tree, we tried to run away... Once the storm stopped, I went to find him, and found him in the dephts of the lake, with his tail stuck on some rocks."_

*End of flashback*

"Tell me, was there any bats in that trunk?" Bite-Size asked.

"In the trunk? Hmmm... there were many bat moms. Why?"

"Oh, my! It was Chirpelle's home. Remember, Koki?" the brown bat asked. "When you run away with me?"

"How could I forget?" Koki said. "But what about your pups, Maddie?"

"We found a cave in the middle of the forest. It was filled with wolf fur, so I guess a wolf pack lived there before," Maddie said. "I really need to return."

"Don't worry, Maddie. If this cave is the one we're thinking, maybe we'll find it without any difficulties."

"Oh... I almost forgot," Mina said. "Martin, can you help me give my T-devil plush a name?"

"WOW!" Jimmy called their attention. "Our mailbox is overloaded with questions!"

"About what?" Koki asked. "Birds, reptiles, mammals..."

"Bats?" Bite-Size asked, leaving Koki and Mina with a confused look. "What?"

"No, no. They're all about foxes!" Jimmy analyzed the questions. "The kids affirm seeing a Norwegian band videoclip, with the creature's description and other animals' sounds. And the chorus had that questi-wait a second. I think I know that song!"

Jimmy placed his Creaturepod on the desk, and played the song.

*BG music: Ylvis - The Fox*

The crew enjoyed the tune for a while, until it reached the chorus.

This was enough to make the crew laugh and dance along.

Mina started dancing with her T-devil plush.

Jimmy paused once the first chorus ended.

"This song is a great hit. It's from Ylvis. They're actually a duo of comediants, and only made this song and its video to announce their talkshow's new season."

"Interesting... and also pretty intriguing," Aviva admitted.

"Hey... why don't we solve this question? Now that we know a real fox, let's all found what the fox says for real!" Martin suggested.

"Good idea, bro," Mina said. "Wait... what's the name of the duo again, JZ?"

"Ylvis. Why?"

"That's it! I'll name my T-devil plush Ylvis," Mina approved the name, embracing her T-devil plush.

"Good choice."

* * *

Meanwhile, Donita's plane flied around the forest. Dabio didn't stopped hearing that same song, and Donita was getting irritated.

"Dabio! Turn it down! I can't take this stupid song anymore," Donita complained.

Dabio, who was moving his feet along with the beat, didn't seem to hear her until she turned off the radio.

"Hmmm... thinking about it… the red foxes' fur is wonderful. These foxes would make marvelous coats and/or scarfs! Let's land, Dabio, and search for some!"

* * *

"Are you sure you can hunt?" Mina asked. "I mean, hunting with such a wound?"

"I've had worse injuries before," Maddie said. Chris put her down and she hid behind some bushes.

"Jimmy told me that foxes hunt chickens. Is that true?" Mina asked.

"They feed preferentially on small rodents, eggs, young birds, rabbits and eventually they become scavengers like the T-devils. Fruits and grains make up their diet in autumn,"Chris explained.

"And there's a rabbit," Martin whispered. Maddie tried but with her paw wounded, it was hard for her to remain quiet to hunt. The rabbit eventually heard her movement behind the bushes, and ran away.

"Uh-oh. Hunting like that really isn't a good idea." Martin agreed with Mina.

"Oh no, my pups need to eat." Maddie's ears lowered, while Chris held her again. "What now?"

"Wait... we're in the season where Persephone go lives with my uncle Hades." Mina thought for a moment. "And in some cases, as Chris said, the fox eat... guys, I have an idea!"

* * *

The whole team gathered together to find food: Chris, in his T-devil suit, tried to find some meat for the pups, but accompanied by Mina, so he wouldn't eat rotten meat; Jimmy, Aviva and Koki gathered some fruits and grains, and Martin followed the instructions Maddie gave him to find her den and her pups. That place was just the one they thought: in that cave, once their friend Howler lived with the pack as a pup.

"Look at the cuties. They're growing really well," he noted. "In each litter, between 3 and 4 cubs can be born, with dark brown or black fur, with their eyes closed and the tips of their ears folded. During this period the males provide food to females. A month later, the pups begin to leave their den and begin to eat solid food. Two more weeks and they already have the coat of the same color of adults and start seeking their own food. They stop feeding off their mother's milk between 6 and 8 months."

"Well, they're afraid to go out hunting, because of what happened to their father," Maddie said. "So I still hunt for them. Plus... I still haven't named them."

"Allow me to do it." Martin caressed the pups. "Twins: a male and a female to be exact. Julie and Joey. J&J."

The crew arrived with the food. "It's all we could get. Fall is the best season to get food," Jimmy said. "My grandma's words. Almost every fall, she makes apple pies."

"Thank you all. My babies never leave their den, and no matter what I try, nothing works," Maddie admitted, while Julie and Joey ate.

They all paid attention to hear the sounds that foxes would make, after they ate. But the two made different sounds... One made "YAAGGAGHH", like it was being strangled and the other was doing "ack-ack-ack-ackawoo".

"Wait, they're making different sounds! Which one of them is the right one?" Aviva asked Maddie.

"Actually, all of them," Maddie replied, confusing the team. "Well, we are canines, but not exactly close relatives of dogs. Yet we have several types of vocalizations like them."

"Yeah... my dog Wyatt used to yelp, bark, howl... the fox is like that too?" Martin asked.

"Yes! Even though we're not as variated in vocalization like your dogs, we can produce different sounds," Maddie nodded.

"What's with her?" Mina asked. "Is she sick?"

"No," Maddie laughed. "This, believe it or not, is the sound we make when we are very happy."

Mina then looked at Joey: he was doing ack-ack-ack-ackawoo while playing with his sister. "That's the sound you make when playing?" She asked.

"And when they fight." Koki researching on your transmitter. "It also works as an alarm if intruders appear."

Maddie started to ack-ack-ack-ackawoo too, looking away.

"And it seems we have an intruder: Lady Crazy-Clothes is coming!" Jimmy warned them, while observing everything with his binoculars.

Donita was also observing them. "Those Wild Kratts are a rock in my shoes." Dabio was hearing the song again, and couldn't stop dancing. "Dabio! Stop fooling around and get those red foxes!"

"Guys! She's coming! With a net!" Jimmy gulped.

"You don't think she's after the foxes, do you?" Mina asked.

"Maybe..." Chris thought for a moment. "We need to make her go away. Maddie can't walk and her pups are afraid to leave the cave."

"Hey... she may know there are foxes here... but I don't think she knows its sound," Martin said. "Let's use this in our favor."

* * *

Donita and Dabio looked around to try finding the foxes.

Soon they heard a YAAGGAGHH from somewhere.

"What was that?" Donita wondered. "Maybe it was a fox. Go see what that was, Dabio."

Dabio shivered of fear, while going to see who made that noise. Donita then heard a ack-ack-ack-ackawoo from behind her.

"Maybe that's a fox!" She went to find the one that made that sound.

"It's working. They don't know which of them is the fox sound," Mina chuckled.

"Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!" Aviva said from behind a bush, calling Dabio's attention. He was plainly confused now. Where was that fox?

"A-hee-ahee ha-hee!" Koki said, hiding behind some rocks and calling Donita's attention. She was confused as well.

"Which of them is the fox?" She asked herself, while everyone repeated the sounds. Not knowing where to go, Donita bumped into Dabio.

"Uh, Donita... where are the foxes?" Dabio asked.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I'll have my red fox coat!" she proclaimed. Then, they saw a shadow behind them.

Dabio panicked, jumping onDonita's lap, making them both fall on the river's direction.

"Ugh! Dabio, you nimcompoop! My hair!" she complained.

The Wild Kratts laughed as they left their hideouts. Mina was holding Ylvis in front of her Creaturepod's light.

"We got ya, Donita Dumbata!" Mina said.

"YOU…" Donita growled. "Dabio, get her!"

Mina gasped, as Dabio stood up with a net. She ran to the forest, while the Wild Kratts ran after him.

Mina ran quick as she could, until she tripped in a rock and fell into the river.

"Mina!" the Kratt Bros gasped.

"Help! My foot's stuck!" She cried for help.

"Hang on, little sister!" Martin was going to grab his medallion, until Maddie came running. She heard her call, and so did her pups. Even though she was hurt... she wouldn't let her friend drown like her mate. So, she jumped into the lake to save Mina.

"Huh? Foxes can swim?" Koki asked.

"Foxes generally avoid getting wet. However, when they are compelled to they can and will swim," Chris said, while Martin sighed inrelief.

Quickly, she removed the rock that was trapping Mina and helped her get to her family. She coughed out some water and caressed her furry friend. "Thanks, Maddie. That was a close one."

"Are you okay, _hermanita_?" Aviva asked.

"I think so."

"OUCH!" They looked behind to see Dabio being bitten by Maddie's pups. They let go of him, once he reached the river.

"Let's go, Mina. We'll get you a towel." Chris held his little sister.

"And you don't ever mess with her again," Martin scolded. Dabio gulped. Donita's jet appeared in the sky, and its vacuum sucked Dabio up.

"You won this time, Kratt Brothers... but I'll get my revenge," Donita sweared.

* * *

Some time later, Mina's feet and Maddie's paw were better.

"Thanks again for your help, Wild Kratts. My pups aren't afraid anymore. Now they can hunt for themselves," Maddie said.

"You're welcome." The Wild Kratts said.

"But we're the ones who need to thank you, Maddie," Chris said. "You not only saved our sister, but you also helped us clarify our doubt for the Wild Kratts Kids."

"Thanks to you, we all know now..." Martin said, while putting a song to play. "What does the fox say?" all the crew said.

Everybody started dancing to the music, even Maddie and her pups.


	31. Episode 32: Jimmy and Koki

It was a good day for a walk around the forest. The Tortuga's lovebirds (mostly Koki) took the opportunity to observe the forest.

"I needed to get out of the Tortuga for a bit. I'm glad you agreed to come with me, Jimmy."

Jimmy was eating some of the chiparoos he carried in his basket. "Well, you insisted. And you know I can't resist your "cute face"."

The female Fire Guardian chuckled at this. "One of the things girls can do and most dudes can't." She took a cookie from the basket and began eating it.

"Really?" Jimmy looked at her with glowing eyes. Koki shook her head and kissed his cheek.

Suddenly, they noticed the sky was getting cloudy.

"Uh-oh. I think it's going to rain, and we're pretty far from the Tortuga." Koki noticed. She got her Creaturepod to warn the others. But no one answered. "Oh, yeah. Chris, Martin and Aviva are trying to find a weapon for her. I think they'll take a while to return."

Suddenly, they heard a thunder. Jimmy freaked out with the sound. But this made him jump high enough to see a cave ahead.

"Quick. To that cave!" He pointed out the way.

The two ran for the temporary shelter. Once inside, they sat against the wall of the cave. They made it in time before it started pouring outside. Koki sighed in relief.

"That was close. I hope the others go back to the Tortuga soon."

"Me too." Jimmy brought his girlfriend closer to him for extra warmth for both of them. Koki accepted and snuggled up even closer.

* * *

"Yeesh, it is pouring out there," Martin commented. He, Chris, Aviva, Mina, and Bite-Size had returned to the Tortuga not too long ago. They didn't succeed in finding Aviva's weapon yet, but at least they weren't doused by Zeus's scheduled storm.

"Oh, a note." Aviva grabbed a piece of paper left close to Koki's computer. "Guys, in case you don't find me and Jimmy in the HQ, we went for a walk and we'll be back later. XO, Koki."

A thunder made Bite-Size shriek and hid behind Mina. "Didn't they know that a storm was coming?" he asked.

"Well, maybe they thought it would rain later," Martin thought.

"Well, we need to contact them," Aviva said.

"We don't have a signal here," Chris pointed out. "Must be because of the storm. I only hope they found someplace to stay..."

* * *

Koki's head leaned on Jimmy's chest, while both were eating. Sometimes they shared a chiparoo in a Lady-and-the-Tramp style.

"You know, this rain brings me some memories..." Jimmy commented. "Remember when we were observing Crocodilla?"

* * *

 _The Tortuga was parked on the other side of a river. It was raining hard._

" _Raining hard out there," Jimmy commented. "What's up with the croc?"_

" _Guess." Koki pointed out to the screen: Chris was shivering in the rain, while Martin slept comfortably in the crocs' nest._

* * *

"Yeah... but actually rain brings another thing to my mind..." Koki sighed, as she remembered.

* * *

" _Told you bats were trouble," Koki muttered, while trying to call the Kratt brothers. "Wait a second! There's a thunderstorm!" she said, as she noticed the real cause of the communication fail._

 _The bat's tree appeared on the screen. And soon, was hit by a lightning... with the Kratt bros in it, with Bat powers!_

" _Oh, no..." Martin said, as the tree fell apart, and they lost communication._

" _The storm knocked out our signal! I'll try to re-stablisah the connection," Koki said. After succeding in re-stablishing, she, Jimmy and Aviva gasped. But soon the Kratt bros appeared, flying with their bat wings._

" _We're okay..." Martin said, panting. "But Bite-Size and the rest of the bats are really shaken up!" He and Chris flew to the destroyed tree._

" _And their shelter... their protection... their home has been totally destroyed..." Chris said with a sad tone._

" _Poor little things..." Koki felt pain on her chest. "Why was I so mean to them?" She asked as she saw Bite-Size's sad face. "They're just... cute little fuzzballs who need a home."_

* * *

Koki sighed. That adventure left a huge scar in her heart. She just couldn't accept that she was such a beast with Bite-Size and his friends.

Jimmy patted her on the back. "Hey, you learned your lesson. And Bites forgave you... like millions of times."

"Yeah... still... such a hard thing to forget," Koki sighed. Jimmy offered her some Chocolate Zucchini Bread. He knew that was her favorite between all his recipes.

"Gosh, Jimmy, your Grandma Jimmena taught you such great recipes," she said, cheering up a little.

"Yeah, my grandma was a skilled chef. She taught me lots of recipes for all ocasions..." Jimmy started remebering about his childhood.

* * *

" _Grandma Jimmena always took care of me while my mom was out helping my uncle Harry with the videogame business. We had lots of good times…_

 _Felt like nothing could go wrong._

 _But one day, I came into the kitchen to find it burnt in some places. Grandma Jimmena told me not to worry about it, saying that the oven went on the fritz for some seconds. That didn't ease me. I could tell she was lying, but I didn't bug her about it."_

* * *

Koki looked up at him.

"How old was the oven? Because if it was new, there's no way it should act like that."

"Exactly. She had just gotten it a few months prior to the incident. And ever since that day, she would look at me like something bad will happen. She would also try to keep as much space between us as she could. I just didn't know why."

"Oh my..."

"Yup." Jimmy wrapped his arm around her. "So, you said you were Aviva's roommate. How did you girls meet?"

* * *

 _"Well, we were both attending a university that specialized in technology. I was in computer classes and Aviva was taking mechanical engineering. And coincidentally, we got the same dorm. At first, we would only say a few words to each other. Then we had a project where we had to give a survey of another class. So we interviewed each other. After all was said and done, I don't know, it suddenly turned into a girl's night. We were best friends ever since._

* * *

"You know, sometimes I feel like It was meant for me to meet Aviva. And the same goes for the bros and most of all, you."

Jimmy blushed. "Yeah..." Then, he saw a picture from Koki's pocket. "Is that a family photo?"

"Yup. My mom, my dad and big brother Joey." Koki showed him. "And this little tyke in pigtails is me. I used to wear glasses until I decided to put contacts."

"Cool. So that's your brother when he was younger? Hard to believe he grew up to become a jerk," Jimmy said, making Koki chuckle.

"You said it. He taught me some bad stuff...

* * *

 _"He's the one that told me that bats were monsters, just like bugs. For a long time, I believed him._

 _"Then one day, I saw that he had burn marks on his hands. I didn't know why, but whenever he saw me, he acted like I will hurt him and then suddenly act nice. He didn't do that before the burns appeared. When mom and dad would ask about it, he always said that they wouldn't believe him. He kept distance from me for years until he went back to normal, which was not completely good."_

* * *

"Wow. Almost sounds exactly like with Grandma Jimmena."

"Might or might not be coincidence." Koki let out a yawn. "And I guess I should've gone to bed before recalibrating the security terminal." Jimmy chuckled.

"I only hope the storm ends soon." Jimmy kissed her lips before bidding goodnight and falling asleep along with her.

* * *

The storm was getting worse. And everyone in the Tortuga was worried about Jimmy and Koki.

"Still no connection with them?" Aviva asked Chris. He may not be a computer professional like Koki, but he knew a lot more than Martin and could patch a link or two.

"Yeah, still nothing," he replied. "I don't even think that if Koki was here, she would could either."

"Great. So not only are they stranded out there till morning, but we can't even check to see if they're all right."

"Oh, they're all right," Martin assured her with a matter-of-fact voice and a smirk. Everyone looked at him confused stares.

"How would you know that?"

"From these." The blonde held up his and Chris's medallions. They were glowing brightly. Aviva looked at her own, but nothing was happening.

"Why are they reacting like that?"

"Remember, Aviva, the bros combined represent three of the elements," Mina explained. "Bravery, Mercy, and the sixth element Love. And Love is the only element they share. So if both are reacting like this, there must be some strong love out there nearby."

"And that love belongs to Jimmy and Koki?"

"Precisely." The little girl let out a tired yawn.

"Okay, time for bed little sister," Martin said, picking her up and putting her in her pink hammock. She fell asleep immediately. The blue brother then yawned himself. "And that goes for us too."

"You sure?"

"They'll be okay, Aviva," Chris assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "They have each other. If anyone can get through a storm, it's them." Aviva smiled at that before they went to their hammocks.

* * *

 _Five year old Koki peeped into her brother's room, waiting for him to wake up. She knew she wasn't permitted to enter, so she didn't dare to. But he was supposed to be watching her since mom is at the store and dad is at work._

 _"Hi. Whatcha doin'?"_

 _"Nothin'. Just restin'," he answered._

 _"So... can we go to the park?" Koki asked._

 _"I don' know, sis. There are many blood-thristy freaks there."_

 _"You don't know that. And I'll never start off good in school if I don't know how to act around people. I need to be around other kids like me, big brother."_

 _"It's not safe out there for you. We're staying inside and that's final." Koki pouted in frustration and disappointment. The only time she can ever go outside is when their parents were with her. But she never got to talk to kids her age._

 _"Fine. I'll..." She got a lump in her throat, but she immediately swallowed it. She put on a brave face, even if she was a little scared of getting in trouble. "I'll go by myself." With that, Koki turned around and started heading down the long stairs that lead to the living room and the front door. As she reached the bottom, she heard her brother's door slam open and Joey rushing out._

 _"You're not leaving this house unless I say so! You listen to me!" Her fear instantly returned. He charged down the stairs and she screamed as she tried to escape by running through the well furnished house. Joey followed her every turn till she hid on the other side of the couch. The little girl peeked over the covers and didn't see him coming toward her._

 _Suddenly, Joey's hands grabbed one of her wrists and had a firm grip. Caught off guard and scared for life, she shrieked at the top of her lungs and tried pulling his hands off her. For some reason, her free hand started to feel warm and there came a shriek of pain. Koki looked at her hands, and was shocked to see them engulfed in flames and not feel any burning. She looked at her brother. His hands were covered in black marks as he cradled them. Did she do that?_

 _"J-Joey?" The sister slowly walked up to him. "Did I do this to you?" When he noticed her, he looked like what she probably did earlier. "Please tell me, Joey. What's happening to me?"_

 _"... What are you?" That made her come to a complete stop. Did... did he just...?_

 _"Joey please! You have to help me!"_

 _"Then just don't come near me!" He pushed her to the TV stand. Her world started becoming dark and rather chilly. She eventually blacked out._

* * *

Koki woke up scared. Was that a nightmare or a past childhood memory? She couldn't tell or remember doing anything like that. Well, the Kratt Brothers once had their memories 'erased', so maybe it was the same for her?

She also saw she was laying all alone, with Jimmy's shirt covering her. She looked back and saw Jimmy lighting up the cave with some fireballs, to keep them warm.

When he heard her moving, he looked at her. The gamer saw a glimpse of fear in her eyes. "You okay?" he asked.

"I... think so," she answered unsurely. "I had a crazy dream that my brother was chasing me around the house and when he caught me... I burnt his hands." Jimmy's eyes widened.

"You too?" She had wide eyes too at that question.

"What do you mean?"

"I had something similar.

* * *

 _"I was in the kitchen with my grandma, baking chiparoos. Suddenly, there was this big rat that came scampering inside to eat the cookies. Specifically the one I was holding. It chased me all over the kitchen, and Grandma Jimmena tried to hit it with a broom. What I didn't realize was that as I ran, I was kicking off... flames. They scattered all over the kitchen, leaving whatever touched them burnt. Once, it almost hit the rat and it ran away scared. Grandma Jimmena looked as scared as the rat did. Unfortunately, one of the flames burnt all the way through a wooden shelf with metal baking sheets and one fell on my head. I was knocked unconscious after that."_

* * *

"Bizarre..." Koki said. "You don't think... we..."

"No, I don't think so. After the thing I told ya, Grandma started letting me help her again like nothing happened."

"But it happened with the Bros. After the second attack on them by the Lupus, Athena pretty much sealed their powers and memories of even having them, remember? And everything in their lives went on smoothly without their mom questioning them. If we can't remember the reason why those things happened in the first place and it suddenly slides after a while to the family, then that might be what happened to us too. Only, we probably developed amnesia and never learned to use those powers so they never showed."

"You really think that we're like the Brothers Kratt?" her boyfriend asked, looking down at his hands and made fireballs appear in them. "Born with strange powers?"

"Well, I guess we'll have to ask Luna just in case. It's just a hypothesis that I figured would make sense for our situation."

"Well, maybe." Jimmy roasted some marshmallows for them both and came back to his girl's side.

"The storm's calming down, but it's too dark out there," Koki said. "This reminds me of the prank I made with you during the Masked Bandits day."

* * *

" _This veggie-cleaner will make it super easy to make desserts for the party tonight," Aviva said._

 _Suddenly, the lights turned off._

" _What's that?" Jimmy asked, getting scared._

" _Hang on, I gotta a flashlight here somewhere," Aviva said, as she looked or seemed to look after the flashlight. "Flashlight..flashlight..."_

 _A silhouette climbed on the desk, and turned on the flashlight on its face. "BOO!"_

 _Jimmy freaked out, knocking the pumpkins out of Aviva's station and ending up with one on his head._

 _Aviva turned the lights on, chuckling with Koki._

" _Gotcha," Koki said._

" _I knew it was..." Jimmy was saying, until he turned back to his normal calm tone. "...knew it was Koki the whole time. *chuckle* Very funny..."_

* * *

Koki and Jimmy chuckled, remembering that. "You're good at pranks," JZ commented.

"Well, having Joey as my brother had some benefits." Koki winked.

"Oh, and other nighttime adventure I remember is the..." Jimmy stood up. "Gecko Effect!" Jimmy posed like he did in that adventure anytime the brothers said that two words.

"Oh, the Gecko Effect one was really interesting... but it became dangerous after Zach sneaked into the Tortuga and stole the Miniturizer," Koki said.

* * *

 _Zach spied the miniturized Wild Kratts, curious about what they were talking about. Martin took that opportunity._

" _I'm fine with these mini-animals he's throwing in here..." Martin started his act. "...but I just hope Zach doesn't throw in here a real-size gecko. That would totally freak me out!"_

" _Catch that salamander thingy!" Zach ordered the Zachbots. "Ha-ha! I heard you!" The robots picked up the gecko._

 _Once they threwed into the pot, the gecko held firmly in the glass walls._

 _Martin started acting again once the gecko was in there. "*gasp* A...ge-ge-ge-ge...GECKO! GECKO! GECKO!"_

 _Zach laughed. "He's such a scaredy Kratt."_

 _When he turned his back on the crew, Martin stopped acting. "Scaredy Kratt, huh? We'll see who gets the last laugh."_

 _The Kratt bros activated their gecko lizard powers, and started climbing on the walls. Martin tried to call their gecko friend, while Chris climbed carrying the crew, who were holding his tail and each other._

* * *

"Wow... we passed through so much stuff together," Koki noticed. "I wonder if our diary is big enough for more."

"*yawn* Maybe..." Jimmy said. "I'm tired."

Koki yawned too. "Me too. Let's get back to sleep." She snuggled close to Jimmy as they both fell asleep.

* * *

After a few morning hours, a ray of sunlight broke through the cloud. One by one, the cloud broke apart and some pieces drifted away. The couple poked their heads out of the cave. "Ah, sunlight," Koki sighed in relief. "Thought I'd never see it again."

"Eh, the sun's bright," Jimmy started. "But not as bright as you, cupcake." Koki giggled at the comment.

"Thanks sugarcube." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. As they stood up, Koki's Creature Pod began ringing.

"Koki! Jimmy! Come in!" Aviva's voice came in a string of worry.

Suddenly, something started moving the cave's walls. "Uh-oh! We have a problem!"

Plenty of rocks fell in front of the cave's opening.

The signal began fuzzing up. Jimmy made another fireball in his hands to light the cave. "Guys, where are you?" Aviva shouted over the static.

"We're now trapped in a cave a mile from the Tortuga! Sending you the coordinates!" She got the location sent just before the connection died.

In the cliff above, the lone Lupus Phantasma stood, smirking at their work.

"Fire can't breathe without air," Paris pointed out.

"So that's two down, one to go," Maximilian said. Both chuckled evilly before departing.

Koki gasped as she saw Jimmy's fire fading.

"Oh, no! No air, no fire!"

"Both enough to keep the flame going!" But just before the fire went out, they heard the block entrance crumble. Vine and ice harpoons had broken the blockade. Outside was the team, relieved to see them all right.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Koki said, being helped by Aviva and embracing her.

"Are you two okay?" the Air Guardian asked.

"We're okay. We weren't hurt. But we do now have some questions for Luna."

"Like what?"

"We'll explain when we get back home."

"Okay." Koki hopped onto Aviva's Buzz Bike and Jimmy got on Martin's. Chris and Mina were already sharing one. With everyone together, they flew back to the HQ.

* * *

"Dreams of having fire powers at childhood?" Luna questioned in surprise.

"Yeah, it was really weird," Jimmy replied. "And the weird thing was that it seemed to have really happened. My grandma's kitchen was burnt and so were Joey's hands. Not to mention our family members acted a little funny afterwards."

"Hmmm... Athena might have blocked your powers at a very young age, but I don't think you ended up hurting any of your relatives in such ways," the owl said. "There's something weird in your minds and we'll find out what."

"So, we're not like the bros?"

"Well, I didn't say that. I will ask Athena about it." The owl then took off through a portal.

* * *

When Luna came out, she was at the God's Circle, the meeting place for the gods. There stood Athena, looking down in the bowl like table that shows everything.

"I have seen your discussion," the goddess of wisdom informed her.

"Then you know why I came."

"Yes. Koki and Jimmy... Let me ask you Luna, and think about it. Don't they look familiar?" The owl put some thought into it. Then it all clicked together.

"They do look similar to THEM... In fact, the whole crew looked like the five."

"Indeed they do. Destiny brought them back together. If Eris dare to appear again, she will not stand a chance against them."

"Should we inform them? Especially Mina since..."

"No. It is not the right time to reveal who they once were. At least, not the rest of the team. Let us wait for the right moment, 'cause SHE is not ready to know that she was once the Gaia Guardian."

"The Gaia Guardian. It's been twenty five years since I heard that title. Yes, let us wait." Both looked down into the pool, seeing the team chatting about something. "Stay strong. Especially you... Flora."


	32. Episode 33: Chris Crush

It was a calm day in the park. The Wild Kratts took the opportunity to have a day off.

Martin was hanging with their local creature friends. Koki and Jimmy had gone into town on a date. Aviva and Mina were currently bird watching from the top of the Tortuga. Bite-Size was taking a nap in his bat box. And Chris was sitting in a nearby tree reading about more mythical creatures.

Something troubled his mind. He knew pretty much a lot about both natural and mythical creatures, and a lot about nature as well. But love? It was one of the few things he was still learning about.

Of course the love like his mother's or his siblings' were good, but... that "other kind of love" was still hard for him to understand.

Especially after the incident with Cyrano. Sure, he still liked Aviva, but it was more of a friend/family like now. It made him question more about what love is.

Suddnely, his deep thoughts were interrupted by a frisbee hitting his head.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, Chris," he heard a kid voice. It was Aidan. "I'm still learning how to play with this thing." Nolan came behind him, giggling.

"Oh, hey, guys." Chris climbed down the tree.

"What brings you here?"

"Nolan wanted to come play here so I went with him. Our mom said she will catch up with us."

"Speaking of your mom, I don't think I ever got her name. What is it?"

"Tania."

"Hi, Chris," Laura greeted him, being followed by Martin.

"Hey... where are you taking my brother?" Chris joked.

"Knock it off, bro. We're just going to watch Gavin and Ronan in the fishing competition," Martin said.

"I'm just kidding, bro," Chris chuckled. "You guys have fun."

"We will." Laura pulled Martin's arm. "Come on! We're going to be late. I gotta be there when my little boys catch a big fish!"

The brunette chuckled as she dragged his brother off. He knew that there will be more happening than watching her kids fish. He felt a little jealous for this reason. His bro was lucky to know what love is. When will he understand too?

He turned back to the boys, and saw then reuniting with their mother. But the woman tripped on a rock and fell on the floor, dropping her glasses.

"Oh my gosh!" Chris ran to help her get up. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry… I-I'm just really clumsy," Tania chuckled nervously.

"Here." Chris handed Tania her glasses, which were luckily not broken.

"Oh thank you." She slipped them on her face and looked straight at him. Immediately, a faint pink hue came to her cheeks. Fortunately for her, he didn't notice.

"Clumsy, huh?" Chris tried getting into a conversation. "I used to be like that as well."

He wouldn't tell her since she wouldn't believe him, but when he was a tyke, he would accidentally make any plant nearby grow. And most of the time, it's because he tripped and touched soil or unconsciously caused it. It took him four years to properly control it, including when he was even a baby. And it was after those four years of practice that they were sealed.

"Really?" Tania chuckled. Aidan and Nolan just observed not getting what was going on.

Aviva looked at the ground for a split second. Then her focus went back to it in surprise. Using her binoculars, she observed her old crush talking to Aidan and Nolan's mom.

"Hmmm..." she thought for a moment.

* * *

She ran to meet Laura and Martin, who were observing Gavin fishing.

"Hola." She sit down to talk with them.

"Hey, Aviva. Where's Mina?" Martin asked.

"She's over there." She pointed out to the other side of the lake, where Mina started playing with Ronan. "Laura, remember your friend with glasses?"

"My BFF Tania's here?" Laura looked at her.

"No, she's back in the park with her sons. And I couldn't help but notice that she looked, maybe, a little attracted to Chris." Martin smirked at that.

"Aviva, are you jealous?" he asked. The Air Guardian narrowed her eyes, but then relaxed.

"Well... maybe just a little. I still haven't gotten over the events with Cyrano."

"I thought you and Chris talked about that," Martin said.

"We did, but feelings don't go away so easily. I can tell now that he sees me as a friend again, but..." She sighed. "Sometimes, feelings just get complicated."

"I can understand," Laura said. "And so can Tania." Aviva looked at her quizzically.

"A thing happened with her husband... and she didn't get over it," Laura admitted.

"What exactly happened?"

"She doesn't like talking about it," Laura said. "Anyway, ever since this happened, she became a full-time mother."

"Like you?"

"Yes. And she had raised them by herself since after Nolan was born."

Aviva thought about that. Life must have been hard for Tania.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tania and Chris kept talking about their lives. Well, Chris left out having powers as a kid. And she was clearly not talking about SOMETHING. He didn't ask about it, though. Didn't want to look nosy.

"You're not telling me something," Tania deadpanned. Chris froze.

"W-well, you're not telling me something either," he replied. "That makes it even. I won't ask about it." She sighed.

"Does it have something to do about that incident with Howard?" The Kratt in green could only glare at hearing that name.

"Well, a little," Chris said. "After that, for a while, my big brother and your blonde friend have been seeing other a lot."

"Oh, Laura..." Tania chuckled. "I guess your brother is the only man that ever looked at her differently."

"Huh?"

"After Howard and Laura got divorced, she started believing that no one would ever like her again," the girl in glasses said. "For a long time, she hid that depression, and I guess when she met your brother... she felt free to talk about that. I mean, I may be her BFF, but there are some things she just can't explain to me. She needed someone that could accept all her good and bad things... and I guess that is your brother."

"Hmm..." Chris thought. "Well… he really seems to like her..."

"And she likes him apparently. After you guys saved her from Howard, he was mostly what she ever talked about," Tania admitted. Chris chuckled at that. He suddenly felt a little fuzzy in himself. What was this?

He felt like he needed to say something. But what?

"Um... any plans for tonight?"

"Not at all," Tania said. "Well, tomorrow I'm taking Aidan and Nolan to see The Lion King musical. They already watched the movie, so I thought it would be interesting."

"I didn't know they were exhibiting it here," Chris said, surprised.

"Probably because you never noticed any of the advertising posters or fliers around here." Chris then looked and saw what she was talking about. He blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, those. Never was one for reading any news." The young woman giggled.

"Why don't you join us?" The male brunette's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Of course, and I'm sure my boys would love it that you come with us."

'Please say 'yes', please say 'yes'!' she chanted in her mind.

The fuzzy feeling was getting stronger. It was beginning to block out his train of thought.

"Sure. I would love to go. Plus, Mina would love to watch." Chris smiled.

'YES!' Tania cheered in her mind. "Okay then... I gotta go now. My boys need some rest. Boys. Let's go home."

"Okay, mom. Come on, Nolan," Aidan called his little brother.

As the family left the park, Chris folded his arms and let out a heavy sigh. Wait a second. He bolted into a straight position, shock written all over his face. He saw from movies that when people sigh like he just did, it meant...

"Hey, bro!" Martin called as he came up to him with Laura and her boys following behind. "Gavin won first place at the fishing competition!"

"You should've seen it, Chris!" Gavin said joyfully. "It was huge! Not as big as Gulpa, but still really big!"

"Really?" Chris asked. "Congratulations, Gavin."

"I have a bigger trophy now to put on my shelf," Gavin said. "Too bad it's so heavy." He placed it down with a thud.

"No sweat, Gavin. I'll help you with that." Martin winked.

Using his medallion, he brought a big body of water to pick up the trophy. It was lifted easily.

"Cool."

"Amazing!" Ronan commented.

"It's so mysterious," Laura said. "That you can control water just like THAT."

"Yeah, it's a little weird..." Martin blushed.

"No, it's awesome!" Laura said. "Me and Tanya are part of a myth-themed club, and we're really into the supernatural and mystics."

"Wow, really?" Martin said. "That's cool!"

Chris's eyes sparkled at that. He can tell Tanya more about him and not worry about making her think he's crazy! Wait, what? Did he really think that?

* * *

The next day, the boys were getting to the theater, and there were the Wild Kratts equally excited to see the show.

The two families arrived at the same time. "Hey, guys!" the Kratt Brothers greeted.

"Hi Wild Kratts," the mothers replied. As the three groups became one, Laura got on Martin's left and Tania got on Chris's right. The bros were side by side. Martin took notice of Chris's cheeks getting a little pink as he glanced at his "girlfriend"'s BFF. He smirked at this.

'Little bro had to learn at some point,' he mused in his head. Laura followed his line of sight, but focused on Tania. Her cheeks were getting a bit pink. She smiled.

'Maybe, she'll finally let it go after this,' she thought hopefully.

"We have the tickets!" Aidan warned. "Let's go!"

While the kids rushed to the door, Martin and Laura looked at Chris and Tanya.

"I think they..."

"Need a little push," Martin completed the girl's sentence. They looked at each other. Already completing each other's sentences? Both blushed at this before chuckling nervously.

"So... any plans?"

"Maybe the show will give us an idea." Martin winked.

* * *

When the intermission came after the first part, while the kids were eating before the next part, Chris told Tania about the lion adventures he and his brother lived.

"He-Who-Breathes-Fire has a mane like no other. That Bad Hair Day didn't keep him from helping his family."

"Wow, what a loyal father," she commented. "Just like Mufasa. It's always sad that he died when Simba was a cub and then Scar convinced him it was his fault."

"Yeah. And then he runs away. At least he wasn't..." He hesitated. Should he tell her THAT?

"Wasn't what?"

"... Abandoned by him," he said in a low tone with his head low. Tania gasped in shock.

"Your father left you?"

"Um... yeah," Chris sighed, giving up. He had to tell now. "Because of this." He made a vine grow out of a vase with dirt close to them by just touching it.

"Plant powers?" Tania observed, surprised. "So AMAZING! But how?"

Chris smiled after hearing those words. "It's too much stuff. I'll tell you a little now, a little later... it's an easier way to absorb this fact."

"And I thought Laura's "boyfriend" was the only one with amazing powers. I remember when he saved Ronan from Howard and that dark thing." Tania started sounding a little more excited. "I got so amazed. There was so much stuff I wanted to ask!"

"Okay. Well, to start with how, I was born with them."

"BORN?! That is amazing! Does it run in the family?"

"No. Only me and Martin were like that. But, as you would guess, we couldn't show them in public. And then... there was THEM." He shuddered at the memories of the lupus attacking him and Martin when they were kids.

"Them?"

"Ever heard of Lupus Phantasma in your myth club? I heard you were part of it from Laura."

"Phantom Wolves? Why, yes, but we didn't go deeply into those creatures. What did they want from you two?"

"Well..." Chris was going to say, until they saw that the intermission was over.

"Mom! Chris! Come on!" Aidan called. "It's starting."

"We're coming," Tania answered her son.

* * *

When the play got to the scene between Simba and Nala, Tania leaned on Chris's shoulder. He blushed at this. He couldn't deny it now. He was...

"Oh, so the bros now have girlfriends," an ominous voice went over the audience. The musicians and actors stopped. Everyone looked around, wondering what was going on. The Kratt Brothers cringed, immediately recognizing the voice. Laura and Tania looked at their respective "dates".

"Martin?" Laura questioned worriedly.

"What's wrong, Chris?" Tania asked in concern.

"It's THEM," they mumbled.

Paris and Maximilian appeared on the stage, scaring the actors and the audience.

"What are you guys doing here?" Chris stood up.

"What else, Earth Guardian? To claim you and your brother's powers as ours," Paris explained. "What we didn't expect to see though was you with your girlfriends." The four humans blushed a deep red.

"She's not my girlfriend!" the bros yelled, flustered. They actually wish they were, though.

"Whatever. Max..."

Maximilian ran in the kids' direction, making them panic. Mina stood in front, protecting them all with a forcefield.

"I won't be able to keep this for long! You guys run!" Mina warned.

All four boys ran to the exit.

"Quick! Everybody out!" Martin yelled to the crowd. The audience and performers fled the auditorium. Mina struggled to keep up the field. Martin released an icy wind at Maximilian, knocking him over. Paris charged at him, but Chris summoned vines to pull his bro out of the way.

Nolan tripped and fell, and the Lupus took the opportunity to try to get him.

"Nolan!" Aidan gasped, calling Chris' attention.

The Earth Guardian summoned his bow and shot an arrow close to the boy, creating a wall of thorny vines.

The Lupus came to a halt.

"Even weapons from the gods... you two just keep getting better and better."

"Better for us to protect people from YOU!" Chris yelled. Tania hid behind him and Laura hid behind Martin. The blonde summoned his sword.

"Stand back! Leave us alone!" Martin growled, pointing his sword at the Lupus.

The shadow wolves snarled at them. Then, they charged at an angle. Both brothers prepared themselves, but the creatures cut around them. Following were the screams of two girls.

"AGH! Get lost!" Tania gasped, trying to defend herself.

"Mom!" Aidan and Gavin gasped.

"Take this!" Laura tried to defend herself with her frying pan.

It fazed Maximilian for a moment, but not for long and he started growling.

"Hey! Get away from her!" the bros shouted before making crystal/ice spikes appear between the wolves and the girls. The Lupus turned around to look at them.

"If they're not your girlfriends, why are you so protective of them?" Maximilian questioned.

"Do we need a reason to help anyone?" Chris argued. "All life needs protection. Children, adults, animals, humans, plants... no exception! That's our mission as Nature Guardians: protect lives!"

Tania stared in awe. Her heart was pounding. She thought that she would never feel it again after the incident with her husband. But she indeed feel it now. And it was for this young man.

"He's so brave... and he puts someone else's needs and feelings before his own," she thought.

Seeing Chris being attacked by Maximilian, Tania felt she needed to do something.

Luckily, she still had her purse and remembered her safety item. Digging into it, she finally found it and pulled it out.

THUD!

Maximilian fell to the floor, fainted. Tania had hit him with her favorite book. It was a huge book about mythology and myths.

"And they ask why I keep carrying books," Tania said, looking at Laura, who chuckled.

Laura then slammed her frying pan on Paris, knocking him out instantly. "Hah, that felt good."

"Remind us not to get on your bad side," Martin commented.

"Agreed," Chris added. Both girls giggled as the pink returned to their cheeks.

The kids cheered for their mothers, and the actors cheered as well.

"Okay, we'll leave. For now." Paris grabbed Maximillian's tail and they both ran away through the theater' entrance.

"Thanks a lot!" The actor that played Simba said. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Chris thought for a moment.

* * *

The actors performed for all the Wild Kratt Kids later, on an exclusive showing. It all went successful in the end. The children applauded as the play ended.

"It was the best play ever!" Tommy said.

"I love lions!" Jenny cheered.

The Wild Kratts were observing the kids talking excitedly about the play.

"I'm glad it all ended well," Aviva said.

"Especially for two Kratt Brothers," Koki added. She pointed in a direction, where the bros and the girls were. Aviva smiled. Not just for Martin, but also Chris.

"Thanks again for helping us earlier," Chris said to them.

"We should be thanking you two for saving us and our kids," Tania said.

"You deserve something," Laura added. Her friend nodded in agreement.

"Oh, you don't have to give us anything," Martin told them. "We're just happy that-"

Tania and Laura kissed each of the brothers on their cheeks. Martin smiled as he put his hand on his cheek, blushing.

Chris blushed even harder, looking at Tania.

* * *

Later in the park, Tania and Chris talked with each other more openly.

"I'm sorry for your husband."

"*sigh* Craig was a nice man. After the car accident, I sure thought no one would ever like me."

"Well, we can never lose our hope." Chris put a hand on her shoulder.

They saw Martin and Laura talking.

"Look, we've been dating for a while... and I guess it's time to... take it to the next level."

Laura looked at the Kratt in blue. Martin seemed serious.

"I don't wanna force you to do anything. I just... want a chance to show you that things can be better for you," Martin was saying, while holding her hands. "And if you want to give me this chance... give it with your heart. And don't worry, 'cause I'm not in a hurry."

"I don't need you to wait," Laura answered. "I made up my mind." She rushed to kiss him firmly. Martin was startled at first, but then he closed his eyes to enjoy that moment and embraced her firmly.

"Aww..." Tania said. "They sure deserve each other."

"Finally," Chris commented.

Tania looked his way with a smile. Silently, she laced her fingers in his. Chris felt it and blushed again, but then smiled, and allowed their hands to close.

'So this is what it feels like,' he said mentally. 'The special love.'

They looked at each other for a while, just making visual contact.

"Well, I gotta go check on my boys. It was the most exciting day I ever had," Tania said. "Thank you, Chris." She kissed him again, but this time, he felt himself blushing way less.

"So... we will see each other again?" He asked.

"I'm hoping for that." Tania looked at him, smiling, before going away.

* * *

" _Love isn't only about liking someone for their qualities or defects, or by sharing the same interests. It's about taking your time to be with the person, and sometimes putting their needs before yours,_ " Chris wrote in the Wild Kratts Diary. _"And although the Lupus tried to ruin everything, I say this was a great weekend for all of us."_

He looked at a picture they took after the play: there was all the crew with Tania, Laura and the boys. He sighed, finally happy by understanding… that he was in love.


	33. Episode 34: Nature Guardians' Tales

In the Underworld, the Tortuga Crew was going to meet the Fates. They got a ride in Charon's boat, following Athena's tip.

"Couldn't we just go in the Tortuga? This place gives me the creeps!" Jimmy embraced Koki.

"Everything gives you the creeps, sweetie," Koki said.

"Not everything," Jimmy complained, but then thought for a while. "Okay, most of the things."

Bite-Size hid in Koki's hair, scared as well. Mina held her brothers' hands tightly. Why her aunt wanted them to visit, she didn't tell them. Only that some connections will be shown.

Once they reach the place, Mina paid Charon with the coins Athena gave her and landed along with their siblings.

"Wow... for three old women living in the Underworld, they sure know how to decorate a place." Koki observed how clean and pretty the Fates' temple was.

"Yeah, the Fates like to have it spiffy and organized. They say it helps them think." The two skeleton guards at the entrance stepped aside and bowed to them as they entered.

Jimmy shivered, squeezing Koki's arm.

"Ouch! Jimmy, you're hurting me! You may be skinny, but you sure don't know your strength," Koki said.

"Oh. Sorry cupcake." Jimmy relaxed his grip on her. The walls of the temple were decorated red and blue lanterns, giving a faint light through the hall. After a few minutes of walking, the team came to a brighter, but still pretty dim, circular room. In the center was some kind of giant, white orb. Standing around it were three cloaked, long haired, withering women. The Fates.

"Come closer, Aviva Corcovado, Koki Bambrick, James Norville Z, Wilhelmina Merdith and Bite-Size," The eldest, Clotho, asked them.

The crew turned to Jimmy with surprised looks on their faces. He groaned.

"Yes, that's my full name. Just don't use it please." No one questioned him as the requested people approached the Fates. The brothers were about to follow.

"Stay where you are, Martin and Christopher Kratt. It is not time for your questions to be answered. In the early future, you will hear your purposes." They looked at each other confused, but didn't question them and stayed put.

"Okay... so what's going on?" Mina asked.

"You are full of doubts and curious about your pasts, aren't you?" Lachesis asked.

"Um... si?" Aviva confirmed. "Only, I never witnessed anything like everyone else has. No weird dreams or any childhood memories coming back."

"That's because she conceals those memories." Corcovado just looked confused at that.

"'She'?"

"You are a true human now, but would you believe us if we said that you were once a hybrid like Wilhelmina?" All eyes widened.

"Wait a second. Are you saying that... I'm part nymph? Or at least used to?"

"Up until twenty five years ago, yes. Wilhelmina, this might come to be a shock to you the most. Aviva Corcovado once had a past life, like everyone of you had. She was... your sister, Flora." The whole crew gasped. Mina felt like she was going to faint.

"Aviva... was Flora?" she asked.

Mina looked at her. She finally realized it was not only coincidence her deceased sister and her new sister were so much like each other.

"I'm Mina's deceased sister?"

"ONCE deceased," Clotho corrected. "But now reborn, just like the rest of the Guardians. I'm afraid we cannot tell the brothers of their past lives, for it is too soon to tell their tale. But they do appear in all of your stories. They are after all what linked you all back then. And it was that eternal link that brought you all back together and create the Wild Kratts." Chris and Martin were stunned. They connected the crew and even knew them in their past lives?

"Well, if you guys don't want us to hear, we'll wait outside," Martin said, pulling a shocked Chris by the hand. "Come on, bro."

Once they were gone, the Fates stepped aside from the orb.

"Now, dear three Guardians, lay a hand upon the orb."

They both put their hands on the Orb and millions of screens appeared, showing different things.

One screen caught Koki's attention immediately. It showed her with some other girls that looked her age. She was wearing a silky, orange skirt that splits on the side. Holding it up was a belt decorated in gold coins. Her matching top exposed her shoulders with it secured only around her neck. Her midsection showed. Around her wrists were many gold bracelets. She had ruby earrings and had on no shoes. Just wrappings up to her knees for fashion.

"Is that me?" she asked. Jimmy blushed when he saw the picture and turned away to look at the other images. The last Fate came up to her.

"Ah, the dear Fire Nymph, Rose. Was one of the eldest of the nymphs and one of the first Fire Nymphs. She was so sweet and loyal to her siblings, who some saw her as their peer. She was beloved by all of her family, including a certain mortal." She pointed to another screen. It had her and some warrior/wizard apprentice that looked like...

"Jimmy?" Jimmy looked her way. Following her gaze, he saw it and was surprised as well.

They took a closer look.

* * *

 _"Oh... um, hi." Pyce, a young apprentice of Helios, blushed while greeting Rose._

 _"Hello." Rose waved. Other nymphs just chuckled at the apprentice' shyness._

 _"Um, I saw you dancing earlier, and, uh, I have to tell you that you were very graceful."_

 _"Thank you. It brings out my flames whenever I dance." She did an example, spinning on the tip of her toes and making a stream of fire fall around her. When she stopped, the flames vanished._

 _"Wow."_

 _"Hey, aren't you the new apprentice of Helios?"_

 _"Um, yeah. I'm Pyce."_

 _"Rose. It's nice to meet you."_

 _"Rosie!" a little boy's voice called. Both turned to look in the direction of the voice. A little blonde boy with blue eyes was waving his arms around while on an empty pedastal. He looked no older than eight and wore a blue apprentice uniform. "Mama wants your assistance!" The other present nymphs waved at him and he waved back to them in politeness._

 _"I'll be right there, Aqua!" Rose called. The fire nymph turned back to Pyce. "Sorry I have to cut this short. How about we talk more later? At sundown maybe?" The apprentice of the Titan gave a big smile._

 _"Sure! I'm free the hour before sunset!" She blushed at that._

 _"Great!"_

 _"Rosie!"_

 _"Coming now, Aqua!" With that, Rose ran off to meet up with the child._

* * *

Koki and Jimmy just observed how happy Pyce seemed after speaking with Rose. He was truly in love.

"Awe, you were in love with me even in our past life," Koki said.

"And you looked like you liked me too," Jimmy added.

"You're soulmates," Lachesis explained. "Once in love, always in love." The couple blushed with a smile at this remark.

"Not to interrupt this heart touching moment of true love, but doesn't the boy look familiar?" Aviva pointed out. The team looked more closely at the child. Their eyes went wide.

"Martin?" they all questioned at the same time.

"Okay... I'm confused," Aviva confessed.

"I think we all are," Koki told her. "Why is Martin still a kid?"

"The boy you speak of is named Aqua," Clotho informed. "He was a mortal apprentice of Hermia along with two other boys. You were all once born at many different times. Aqua was the second youngest of the five of the original crew's past lives."

"Speaking of youngest, is that brunette with who looks like me Chris?" Aviva asked, pointing to another screen. There was a little girl and boy playing together. They looked about the same age. The girl had her long dark brown hair in two ponytails with white flower hair clips. Her eyes were a brownish grey. She had on a pink and green top similar to Mina's with a roman style skirt. The boy's brown hair was spiky in the front. He had hazel brown eyes and wore a green apprentice uniform.

"That is Hermia's youngest apprentice Terra."

"Aqua and Terra?" Koki wondered.

"Their real names were Arthur and Terrance. They received their nicknames because of their natural skills," Atropos explained.

"What natural skills?"

"Aqua loved the sea and was a very talented swimmer. Terra was more of a climber and hung out a lot in the forest."

"Just out of curiosity, were they brothers back then too?"

"Indeed they were. And they even had a third brother, the eldest."

"A third brother?" Aviva repeated in confusion.

"The eldest of Hermia's apprentices. His name was Ventus, originally Vincent. He loved hiking up hills and mountains because of the winds that are present."

"Weird. The Kratt family had only 4 children, not counting Clarissa and Mina, 'cause they were adopted," Aviva pointed out.

All three Fates looked to the ground. "We are sad to say that Ventus was not reborn like his younger brothers due to... certain circumstances." The way she answered made it appear that something bad had happened to the eldest sibling. "But that is another story. The Kratt Brothers' story." They nodded. "And they are free to know about this." Bite-Size noticed one screen with Pyce and Rose again. He flew over to it.

* * *

 _"Oh Pyce, why do you have be mortal?" Rose asked her love sadly._

 _"I don't know," Pyce said. "But what I do know... is that maybe love doesn't choose people for that. Despite being mortal, nothing would ever change the fact that I love you. Really much."_

 _"Hmmm... well... maybe Aphrodite knew what she was doing when she put us together." Rose weakly smiled at him. But for Pyce, even the weakest of smiles was enough to make both feel better._

 _Both brought their hands together. In a few seconds, their lips met._

 _"ROSE!" someone yelled in horror. The couple broke their kiss and looked to see a nymph in her teen time. She immediately ran away. Both of the couple's faces paled._

 _"Oh no..." they said._

* * *

Bite-Size was confused. What was that about? Were they dating in secret and wanted to keep it secret for themselves?

"Excuse me, but what just happened in this one?" the bat asked the Fates.

"Back then, people of the magical world could not be with mortals. This came after Flora was born, because most of her sisters avoided her for her 'tainted blood'. But Aphrodite decided to change that rule by putting a mortal and a nymph together. Without using her powers at that. It was the love of Pyce and Rose that ended this unfair law."

Clotho's words were true. On another screen, they saw Zeus giving a speech.

* * *

 _"Their love is pure and true, and it is unfair to seperate them by such an law like this," Zeus said. "You were right, Aphrodite. I will now disable this law. Mortals and imortals are free to be together if they want."_

 _"Thank you, my dear cousin," Aphrodite said in appreciation. "I'm sure that many of our world will be happy for this change."_

* * *

 _"Pyce!" Rose called before taking a leap. The apprentice caught her in his arms. Both were overjoyed by the removal of the rule that forced them to not show their love around others._

 _"Yeah, my big sister gets to keep her boyfriend!" the young Flora cheered. Terra and Aqua chuckled childishly at Pyce. A third boy stood nearby, smiling. He was the tallest and had shaggy, dirty blonde hair with bangs that hang over his right eye a little. His eyes were sea green and he sported a white apprentice uniform._

 _The couple blushed at the hybrid's comment._

 _"Flora!" Rose shouted in embarrassment._

 _"Well, I'm happy for you two," the third little boy told them. "You deserve to be together." The adults smiled at him. The fire nymph fiddled with his already messy hair._

 _"Thanks Ventus. Now, if you don't mind excusing the other kids from here."_

 _"Of course, Rosie! Okay, kiddies! Let's give our sister and her boyfriend some space!" The three groaned in annoyance, but listened as they followed the eldest child. With them gone, the couple looked at each other with loving eyes. Their lips came together and they were like that for several minutes._

* * *

Koki wiped a tear of happiness from her eye.

"Awww..." Aviva said. "This makes me imagine what happened to little Flora after this."

"Well, my dear, life was well, but then... HE attacked."

"'He'?"

"Chaos. He kidnapped Hermia and began bringing destruction to the world. The magical people fled to shelter. Hermia's three apprentices were then chosen... and they defeated Chaos."

"Wait. Chosen for what?" Jimmy asked.

"That is for another time."

"So it was the brothers' past lives that saved mom?" Mina asked in wonder.

"Indeed they were, child. After his defeat, a lot of things happened. But one event changed everyone's lives... forever." A screen came up. It showed little Flora talking to a man in a green robe with bronze yellow patterns. The man had his face hidden under a hood and his head hung low.

 _"What's the matter, Terra?" Flora asked. She still looked the same as she did before the attack of Chaos. The only difference was that there were flowers in her hair._

 _Terra did not say a word. This got her worried. "Terra, did something happen?"_

 _"... They're gone..." he murmured._

 _"Gone? Who's gone?"_

 _"Ventus... and Aqua... Ventus was... and Aqua is..." He couldn't get the words out. Flora gasped, finally catching up. Tears started to fall._

 _"I'm... I'm so sorry for your loss, Terra. But don't be sad. You still have family. Like me." The little hybrid took a flower out of her hair. She pulled down Terra's hood, revealing Chris's face. She placed the flower in his hair and gave him a hug. The apprentice lightly smiled as he returned the embrace._

* * *

"Oh, no. Por favor, no!" Aviva gasped.

"Oh my! What about Rose and Pyce?" Koki asked, embracing Jimmy.

The Fates looked away, not wanting to look eye to eye. "We will tell you first of Terra's fate. It connects to all of yours. After many months, he... was killed by Eris, the Goddess of Discord." They all gasped.

"Terra... was killed?!" Aviva nearly screamed.

"By a goddess?!" Koki added.

"But why?!" Jimmy asked.

"To bring ruin to the planet. What better way to make Hermia vulnerable than to kill her last apprentice? Well, after Terra's cruel death, Pyce and Rose stood against Eris and many warriors and nymphs went into battle against her forces. However, not many survived, and... neither of the two were one of those few." They gasped again.

"We died next?!" Jimmy shrieked.

"To Eris?!" Koki asked.

"Then... what happened to Flora?" Aviva questioned warily.

The Fates showed another screen.

* * *

*BG music: Cheap Trick - I Must be Dreaming*

 _Flora carrried some gems in her arms while running to her temple. She looked much older now and only two flower hair clips kept her long hair out of her face. There was a single, real hibiscus in her hair though. She wore a tan roman top and a matching wrapping held up with a flower pin. After her, an evil-looking woman with long blonde hair and black dress followed her._

 _"You can't hide from me forever, Flora!" She spoke. "I'll get the gems, then I'll defeat Hermia, become supreme Mother Nature!"_

 _"Gaia chose Hermia! You have to accept this!" An nymph with long blue hair and a pale white dress tried to stop Eris, giving Flora some time to run._

 _"Oh, Luna... always loyal to your mother, huh?" Eris mocked, zapping her and turning her in to an owl. Flora reacher her temple just in time._

 _"Flora... is that you?" A young little girl asked. She wore a short dress and had her long white hair falling on her face._

 _"Mina! Hide!" she said, hiding behind the Earth Gem's pedestal. But Mina didn't knew where to go. Eris took the opportunity to attract Flora to battle._

 _"You or your sister, Flora," the Goddess of Discord challenged._

 _"Who's there?" Mina asked, innocently. "Do you wanna play?"_

 _"Mina, NO!" Flora shouted, calling her little sister's attention, just when Eris hit her with a ray of dark magic. The youngling fainted._

 _Flora gasped, running after her little sister, while Eris flew away. "Follow me if you dare, Flora!" she cackled evilly._

 _"Mina...wake up..." Flora begged as tears fell from her eyes. She noticed the longer parts of Mina's hair turned black. This made her gasp, and take her decision._

 _"I'm Hermia's only hope now. I can't just stay here while innocents suffer on Eris' hands." Flora put Mina on her lap, and put her flower hairclips in her little sister's hair, adding some of her own magic into them. "I will not allow Eris to corrupt you. My magic will protect you for now on." Mina smiled as she slept, making Flora relieved that her defense power worked._

 _"I'm fighting. For you, little sister... for all of our friends... for Gaia!" Flora grabbed her Scepter and floated, with the Elemental Gems floating around her._

 _Eris saw Flora ready to fight, and powered up. With tears in her eyes by thinking about all the souls that suffered under Eris' hands, especially her friends, the nymph lifted up the scepter and faced Eris with a powerful glow in her eyes._

 _Hermia saw the glow from the survivors' hideout and flew up to see what was happening. Once she got there, she saw Eris, as a statue, and Flora had disappeared, leaving behind the scepter and the gems. Understanding what happened, Mother Nature knelt and silently mourned her daughter's loss._

 _"Huh?" Mina slowly woke up, a little dizzy, but seeing way more better. "What happened? Where's Flora?"_

 _Hermia, with tears on her eyes, embraced the little one, crying silently._

* * *

Mina began to cry silently. "She... she saved me... and the planet... at the cost of her life," she whimpered. Aviva and the others followed the hybrid's reaction. Mina turned to Corcovado. "And now, she's back... as my sister again." Her heart lifted up a bit at that statement, and the two embraced each other.

"After this battle, Hermia hid the Elemental Gems across the globe and retrieved the Scepter. Since Flora's death, there wasn't any more Guardians, for there wasn't any need for them. But we believe that Flora wanted to die."

"I what?! Who would want to die?!"

"One who wanted to be reborn so she can be with her friends. At that time, Aqua, Terra, Rose, and Pyce were given rebirth. And Flora wanted to join their mortality. So she timed her death and was reborn as Aviva Corcovado."

"She was a pretty smart girl..." Aviva commented.

"Indeed she was. And very loyal to those close to her heart. That's why she allowed herself to die. She knew her friends would need her, but she wouldn't have been able to communicate with them because she was still part nymph, and interactions with mortals at that time had been limited. If she was all mortal, just human, she could at least be with them. And look where what happened to the reborn friends."

"The founding of the Wild Kratts," the crew answered with smiles.

"It wasn't mere coincidence. We were destined to be friends," Koki stated.

"And my sister returned to me," Mina smiled at Aviva. "And now I don't only have her, but you guys as siblings as well."

"Like it was meant to be." The three turned to the Fates and gave a bow in respect.

"Thank you for everything," Aviva praised.

"It is our pleasure, young Guardians," all three replied, bowing as well.

* * *

Martin and Chris waited at the far side of the hall. After departing from the room, the two had talked about their childhood memories. Some had still not surfaced during the 'Through Mint and Minds' day and they were finally coming back. They were the occasional days where they played with each other using their powers, making them smile continuously.

Half an hour later, they saw their crew coming up to them.

"Oh, there you guys are. So how was it?" Martin asked.

"Let's just say we have a lot to tell ya." Aviva carried Mina on her shoulders. The team started walking back to the river, to get a ride back home.

* * *

 _"You're just in time, sweetheart," Hermia told Flora, following her to Gaia's tree. The goddess placed a flower from her hair on a giant white rose, that slowly bloomed to reveal... a little baby girl with short white hair._

 _"This is your sister," Mother Nature said, while Flora's eyes glowed in awe. She slowly picked up the little one in her arms._

 _"Which name you'll give her?" Luna (still as a human) asked._

 _"I always liked... Wilhelmina," Flora answered, receiving a giggle from the baby. "She liked it. Wilhelmina Meredith."_

 _The baby opened her eyes slowly, chuckling at her big sister. "I get the feeling that you are going to be very important in the future."_


	34. Episode 35: Spooky Tale Time!

It was a dark night in the city. The Tortuga's lights were all on. Martin and Chris walked around in circles, waiting for Mina.

"Guys, you're going to wear out the floor at this rate," Koki joked.

"Sorry, Koki. Mina's taking really long to choose her costume," Martin complained.

Mina appeared, wearing a cape, a black lolita dress and fake vampire fangs. Along with her hairclips, there were two skull hairclips.

"Awwwww... what a cute little vampire," Chris said.

"I know. Sorry it took long. She just didn't let me replace her hair clips," Aviva said. Her costume was designed after Flora's look.

"Okay. We'll change clothes and we'll meet you guys out there." Koki pulled Jimmy by the hand, as they rushed to change clothes.

* * *

Soon, all the team was reuniting at Gavin's home.

The brothers were dressed like two young wizards in their respective colors. Though both had hats that were more like witch hats. They used their Guardian robes as the main part. On a rope belt around their waists, they even had black wands. Not that they can really do magic with them. Koki and Jimmy decided to be their past lives, Rose and Pyce. Jimmy would blush when he saw anything exposed of her that wasn't her face or arms.

Koki just giggled, as Bite-Size saw everything around him.

Laura appeared, dressed as a black cat.

"Hello, guys!" she greeted, as Gavin and Ronan ran to embrace Martin. Gavin was dressed up as Martin and Ronan was dressed up as a squirrel.

Aidan came, dressed up as Chris, and Nolan came after him, dressed up as a frog. Tania was dressed up as a simple librarian.

"Look, Chris! I'm you!" Aidan said. "Wild creatures belong livin' free and in the wild!" he said Chris' quote, making him chuckle.

"And you make a good impression," he commented, ruffling the imitator's hair.

"Hmm, hey Hocus - can I call you Hocus? - can you do some magic?" Gavin asked Martin, pretending to be him. Martin chuckled.

"I certainly can, and I have my own name, but thank you," he responded, taking a bow and taking off his hat. Gavin and Ronan laughed.

"Okay, Tanya, we're ready! Where will the party be?" Laura asked.

"Just two blocks from here," Tania said. "Come on."

* * *

"Here we are. 969." Tanya saw the place: it was a spooky old house. There were no lights on.

"You think there's someone here?" Mina asked.

Martin was going to knock on the door, until... it opened by itself.

Jimmy gulped, and Koki held his arm.

"Relax, guys... I-I think it was only the wind," Chris tried to remain calm.

"Seven days," they heard a voice, and saw a silhouette with long hair falling onto its face. Gavin hid behind Martin, and Aidan hid behind Chris.

"Sorry. I hate when my hair falls onto my face." It was... a little girl. "I was saying that it has been seven days without light around here. So don't worry about all this darkness."

"Um... okay?" Mina said.

"Hi. I'm Blythe."

"Hey, Blythe. I'm Gavin."

"Gavin? *giggle* What a cute name." Blythe looked at him deeply. "You resemble my big brother. I think he'll come soon." She entered the house, with the others rushing in.

"So... does anybody else come?"

"Well... on a night like this, not many people come here. I'm glad someone came," the girl admitted.

"Um, Blythe, is it only you and your brother that live here?" Aviva asked.

"Yeah. Our mom is always working so we don't see her a lot." The mysterious girl looked at her. "And now that I look at you more closely, you look a lot like my sister."

"Well, since we're here, why not telling some spooky stories?" Martin suggested.

"Big cliche alert! Spooky tales in an old creepy mansion. I'm on it!" Tania said. Chris chuckled at that.

Instantly, she reached into her purse and pulled out a dark book with a bat on it.

"You carry a spooky stories book?" Laura asked.

"Just in case I was bored," Tania said. "Books are amazing, no matter what kind is."

They all sit on the floor, and Blythe put her candelabrum in the middle of them.

"Okay, on a scare rate of one to ten - ten for "Adult Boring" and one for "Absolutely Terrifying" - give a number."

"Three!" the brothers said in unison.

"I'd rather we go with nine," Jimmy said, obviously not wanting to hear any of those "Absolutely Terrifying" stories.

"I say five, just so we don't scare the much younger ones," Gavin suggested. Aidan nodded in agreement.

"I'm with them," Mina agreed.

"Hmm, well I actually want to hear a three," Koki stated.

"Me too," Aviva added.

"Um... are you sure it is a good idea?" Blythe asked.

"Are you scared?" Gavin asked.

"A little," she admitted. "But I'm glad someone's here."

"Well, let us start." Tania opened her book in a certain page.

* * *

 **Hunted**

 _The greedy Gaston Gourmand set his restaurant in the forest. In his cages, most of the forest creatures were trapped._

 _"One, two, and even three! Cooking animals is the job for meee!" Gourmand chanted, off tune as always._

 _"Aw, look at you! Precious little creatures, the more endangered, the best!" He cackled. "I sure can imagine how many delicacies I can do with you all! And with any other vermin I find around this forest!"_

 _"You should be careful," he heard a girl's voice._

 _"What? Who are you?!" Gourmand looked behind and saw Nina._

 _"I'm just saying that you should be careful," Nina said. "Onnaya would not approve such behavior."_

 _"Onnaya?"_

 _"He's a shape-shifting monster, that hunts who hunts creatures. He can turn into anything... and he can be anywhere."_

 _Gourmand laughed at the story._

 _"Sorry, twerp, but I'm not into bedtime stories! If you excuse me, I have to work! Gotta write down the recipe ideas I had!" He turned his back on her._

 _Nina looked seriously at his direction._

* * *

 _That night, Gourmand woke up, finding that whole silence... really strange. When he looked outside, he saw that the animals he trapped were set free and its guns and nets were destroyed._

 _"WHAT?! But who... how?!" Gourmand gasped. Suddenly, he saw a giant sihouette. It was bigger than any of the creatures he captured._

 _"Onnaya." Nina appeared, recognizing the silhouette. "I warned you. He'll come after you."_

 _"Not if I get him first!" Gourmand said, pushing Nina aside and grabbing his gun._

 _He followed the silhouette through apparently all the forest, until he was waay far from his restaurant. As he stepped back to look around, he ended up trapped in a net, and surrounded by the creatures he trapped before... and by Onnaya himself._

 _Gourmand gasped at the sight of the creature: he had a crocodile mouth, brown fur all over his humanoid body and green eyes._

 _"You woudn't believe what I've gone through to get you here," the creature said, in a distorted voice._

 _"You were... what?!"_

 _"I used to be a hunter too... and I didn't care a bit for the lives in the forest. Always thinking about me and feeding my stupid greed... until the day I was wounded by a jaguar. A shaman appeared out of nowhere... with medicine from the forest, and saved my life... but as you know... everything has its price. Mine... was a curse."_

 _He growled to the moon, that started to get covered by some kind of shadow. As Onnaya walked around Gourmand, parts of his body turned into human, and Gourmand slowly turned into a monster._

 _At the end of the lunar eclipse, Gourmand growled at his new form: he was Onnaya now! And his "hunter"... was a human._

 _"It happened here, a long time ago... I found out the curse could not be removed like that. It had to be passed on." The man (Chris) looked at the new Onnaya. "I freed the creatures you planned to kill. And as much as I learned my lesson, I hope you learn it too. For once again, the hunter became the beast he hunts."_

 _As the man left the place, finally free from his curse, Gourmand growled of despair. Nina, who was returning home, heard that sound and immediatly recognized it._

 _"Onnaya..."_

* * *

Jimmy was shivering in fright. The kids had huddled together. The others were fine.

"Not bad," Martin commented. "Not exactly my kind of spooky, but not bad."

"*giggle* Poor dude... a creature day would be too much to ask him!" Koki joked, making the others laugh.

"Yeah, the old saying goes, "You don't know a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes,"" Aviva pointed out.

"Hey, there's just a story about this here!" Tania noticed, as she looked over the book.

"I hope it's a good one," Chris said, coming closer to her to see and to just generally be closer.

"It will. And it is." She gave him a peck on the cheek, making him blush and back up a little. Martin and Laura chuckled at this.

* * *

 **Shades of Guilt**

 _Zach Varmitech drove his car around the city. It seemd like a very calm rainy night...until he saw a similar face. It was Aviva! And it looked like she was being chased!_

 _"HELP! Ayudamé!" she begged, as she continuosly knocked on the car's door. "Por favor!"_

 _Zach looked at her. Then, he drove away, leaving the girl behind. "No way I'm helping a Wild Rat." He thought for a moment._

 _"NO!" Aviva shouted. "No..." She looked behind and gasped._

* * *

 _The next day, Zach looked at the newspaper._

 _"Jealousy Attack: Inventor Aviva Corcovado is found... dead?!" Zach looked closely. "Well... better her than me." He turned the TV on. On the news, there was Aviva's story._

 _"Aviva Corcovado's body was found in the street by her friends. She was spanked to death by a group of jealous scientists. Her friends, the Wild Kratts, reunited today along with some Wild Kratt Kids to say goodbye to the prodigious girl." Zach kept watching. "Security cameras pointed out that a car stopped to Aviva, but the driver left her behind, not giving her a chance to get in."_

 _"I'm here with Aviva's best friend, Koki, who has something to say to the person that abandoned her friend in her time of need." the reporter said, with Koki by her side._

 _"I sure do!" Koki grabbed the mic. "It's a shame that people today doesn't give a bother about others! Aviva needed help, and they simply left her to die! I think... no, I'm SURE that whoever did that... will be tormented by the shades of guilt." She looked seriously at the camera. Zach gulped. Was she talking to... him?_

 _No, it couldn't be. He turned off the TV, tired of watching the news. But as he looked on the mirror... he saw his skin was tanned, instead of pale white._

 _"What? But... I... How?"_

* * *

 _As the day passed, Zach started noticing not only his hair was changing... but his whole body. It seemed like he was starting to look like... HER! But how?_

 _"But... I don't get it! There has to be a logical explanation!" He noticed his change of voice as he finished the sentence. Looking back at the mirror, he saw his face was round. His eyes remained green, but he looked more like Aviva._

 _Shrieking of panic, Zach walked outside, trying to run away from this reality. "This can't be happening! It can't!"_

 _The Wild Kratts were reunited on the park, to give a depressed Koki some comfort. Zach passed closed to them, calling their attention._

 _"Was that..." Koki looked at the silhouette. It couldn't be... she and the crew approached who seemed to be their recently dead friend, but it slapped Bambrick's hand._

 _"Get lost, you Wild Rat! My day's already terrible!"_

 _"ZACH?!" They recognized that kind of speech. With that, Koki thought for a moment. This couldn't be... unless..._

 _"It was you. You're the one who left Aviva behind!" she concluded._

 _"Why wouldn't I? Ms. Smarty Pants and I hated each other! I didn't had a choice!"_

 _"Liar!" Martin protested. "You could have chosen to help her. To be nice one time in your life."_

 _"But you prefered leaving her to die. But we should expect this from someone like you," Chris said. "Someone that just thinks about itself, in the most greedful ways."_

 _"But..."_

 _"I was right. You're being punished... by the shades of guilt," Koki said, before turning around, and being followed by the crew._

 _"You... would refuse to help your friend?"_

 _"Aviva was our friend. But she's gone," Koki said. "Thanks to you." She stared angrily at him, and the crew left Zach behind. He just stood there... surprisingly feeling his heart heavy as a rock._

* * *

 _That night, it was raining hard. Zach walked around the streets, confused about what the heck he was feeling._

 _"This is not fair... not fair..." he muttered, only hearing Aviva's voice as he talked._

 _Suddenly, three girls stood in front of him._

 _"Well, well, well... if it isn't Ms. Aviva Corcovado," the leader said. "Also known as the girl who made us look like fools in science camp, with her acclaimed inventions."_

 _"What?"_

 _"You didn't think we would just sit there and watch you being glorious, did you?"_

 _"But... you're mistaking me! I'm not..."_

 _"Well, guess what? We won't!"_

 _Zach ran away, while the girls chased him. Soon, he saw a car stop close to where he was._

 _"HELP! Ayudamé!" he begged, as he continuosly knocked on the car's door. "Por favor!"_

* * *

 _"Help me!"_

 _Zach gasped as he heard his own voice. He looked around to see... he was still in his car. All he have been through was... somehow, it was all part of his imagination. He sighed of relief, but then, he heard Aviva's screams of pain and despair. looking by the car's windows, he saw the inventor being continuosly kicked and punched by the girls. He kept observing that scene... what he should do?_

 _Aviva cried of despair, until... she felt a mechanic arm lifting her up and pulling her to Zach's car. Zach drove away from the jealous girls, who escaped from the place after hearing the police siren._

 _Aviva breathed heavily and observed her body. She was heavily wounded... then, she looked at Zach._

 _"I... I don't get it. Knowing you, you would probably leave me there to die," she said. "Why didn't you?"_

 _"Trust me... I would've preferred that," Zach said. "But something made me change my mind." He looked at her. "Don't tell anyone. I have a..."_

 _"Reputation to maintain, right?" Aviva completed his sentence, leaving him wordless. "Fine." she said, looking down. After a short silence, she looked back at him. "Anyway... gracias." She gave him a weak smile._

 _Zach sighed, and without Aviva noticing, gave a weak smile as well. The car drove along, as the rain stopped._

* * *

Aviva and Koki gulped. Jimmy and the kids were shivering together. Laura was holding for dear life onto Martin, who he and Chris were wide eyed.

"Okay, that one was a LITTLE spooky," the blue Kratt commented. Chris nodded in agreement.

"Yeah... I can't possibly imagine Zach doing that," Aviva admitted. "Even if he does go through something like that." Chris was scanning the table of contents in the book when he spotted an unusual one. Going to that page, he scanned it, but then gulped.

"What's wrong Chris? You think you can handle THAT one?" Tania teased. He gave her a nervous smile.

"Uh, of course, yeah," he lied. Only Martin noticed, though. The one he looked at MUST be a scary one.

* * *

 **Hyde and Go Shriek**

 _Chris walked around the city, after a storm. The park was full of puddles. Children played around them everywhere. Suddenly, Chris tripped on something, and fell on a giant puddle._

 _He looked back to see he tripped on Toodles' leg. Toodles, that looked like Chris, but with a slightly different haircut and a red shirt, was one of the few Zachbots Zach built with an A.I., just like Marina, his Zachbot sister. She looked like a female version of Martin, but with a ponytail._

 _"Very funny, guys," Chris chuckled. "Now I can say that's a way to take a quick bath." He continued to walk, leaving the Zachbots speechless._

* * *

 _Chris entered the Tortuga, with his green shirt completely soaked. As he pulled it off, revealing his white t-shirt, he opened the closet, to find out his clothes were full of knots._

 _"Wow... what'll I wear now?"_

 _"What's that? Some kind of art project?" Zach appeared at the window, mocking him._

 _"Oh, Zach..." Chris laughed. "Really good one here."_

 _"Gotta admit he knows how to take a joke," Aviva whispered to Tania, as they observed the situation. Then, she threw a water balloon on Zach's direction, making him run away._

 _"Yeah, but I fear Zach will not stop until Chris can't take it," Tania said, and Chris ended up hearing that._

 _"Relax, Tanya. He was just kidding. No one got hurt," Chris said, as he undid the knots and wore another green shirt._

 _"Still... I think you should be careful. I don't trust him," Tania said, as she followed him to the street._

* * *

 _"To think that you, Bite-Size... was just a little skinny bat." Chris was showing a brown bat to the kids in school._

 _"He's so cute," Jenny said._

 _"Look at his little ears." Katie said._

 _"I made sure he would be just fine. Good food, a cozy place to stay, and the most important... tender love and care," Chris explained. "That's the basics for you guys to have a pet."_

 _Tanya observed everything, seeing how much the kids were interested, and how kind Chris was._

 _Suddenly, Zach sneaked into the class._

 _"Look at that winged rat's size," he mocked, as the Zachbots grabbed Bite-Size. "Let's see if these wings work!"_

 _Toodles and Marina started pulling Bite-Size's wings, scaring him and making him squeak._

 _"Hey! Let him go!" Chris tried to save his bat friend, but Marina threw him through the open window. Chris looked around, but didn't found Bite-Size anywhere. "Bite-Size..." He closed his eyes in sadness, making Zach and his robots laugh._

 _"This time you went too far, Zach! I'll make you pay for this!"_

 _"How much does that thing costed? A buck?" Varmitech mocked, making Chris grunt and leave the class. Tania felt bad about Chris, while she saw the kids, looking through the window, trying to find the bat._

* * *

 _Chris tried to lift up some dumbbells, determinated to get revenge on Zach. As they observed him, the Zachbots whispered between themselves._

 _"Hey, Chris, you're doing it all wrong." Toodles approached him. "You need immediate results!"_

* * *

 _In the Varmitech Building, Chris wore a rather familiar suit, with a white button on it._

 _"Zach stol- I mean, invented this, inspiring himself on Aviva's designs. According to him, no disks are needed to activate it. Only DNA," Marina said._

 _"Hmm... I doubt this will work."_

 _"You wanna make Zach pay or not?" Toodles asked._

 _"Well, yes, but..." Chris felt himself being dragged to outside._

 _"Take it! Success guaranteed!" he heard Toodles say before the doors closed. Sighing, Chris went on his way, while the Zachbots chuckled._

* * *

 _Later that night, Martin and Laura observed the stars in the Createrra VX and shared stories._

 _"And then, we freed the rhinos. I'm glad Nubs is back with his mother, but I still regret being so dumb on this adventure."_

 _"It was not your fault, Martin. Zach's robots are full of surprises."_

 _"Yeah, I know. I heard what happened with Chris and Bite-Size. I feel bad about not being there when he needed me."_

 _Suddenly, he heard something moving._

 _"You saw that?"_

 _"Aw, no. I'm not falling on this trick again."_

 _"No, really, I saw something."_

 _"Yeah, right..." Laura chuckled, until she heard something moving as well. "Wait... I heard something too..."_

 _Both saw a silhouette in the shadows, and embraced each other, shivering. Soon, the silhouette appeared, scaring the lovebirds._

 _"Let's get outta here!" Laura pulled Martin's arm, and they both ran away from there, while the silhouette destroyed the Createrra._

 _"Oh, man... Aviva's gonna kill me!" Martin looked back._

* * *

 _Toodles and Marina, already seeing the newspaper's headline "MONSTER ON THE LOOSE", gulped. What if that suit they gave Chris worked?_

 _Zach heard their stories, but simply complained about them giving Chris the suit._

 _"You gave that Wild Rat my suit?!"_

 _"And Marina almost ruined everything, by telling him you stole Aviva's prototypes," Toodles said._

 _"I told you I was sorry! But that's not important now! What if it worked?" Marina asked._

 _"It couldn't! I made modifications, but I still haven't got a chance to try it!" Zach said. This made him think. "And maybe it won't work for Chris as well..." He chuckled evily, as his Zachbots smiled at each other, believing that Zach could have a point. Maybe the newspaper monster wasn't Chris._

* * *

 _By nighttime, Tania walked out of a store, carrying a box with something on it._

 _"Try not to move that much, sweetie. You need rest now."_

 _"Talking to a box, Ms. Armstrong?" Zach appeared out of nowhere. "Poor little crazy girl..."_

 _"Leave me alone, Zach. I'm busy!"_

 _"Talking with other boxes?" he mocked her. Tania tried to escape, but he kept blocking the way._

 _"It's not of your business!" She ended up tripping and falling close to a wall._

 _"Zach!" Varmitech heard a familair voice. "Leave her alone. I've been looking for you."_

 _"What a coincidence..." Zach faced Chris. "Same here, Wild Rat."_

 _"Time for you to pay for what you did to Bite-Size, and for what you'll probably do to other innocent living beings."_

 _"That's the suit I designed, huh?" Zach said. "The one my stupid robots gave you. Although they're not as stupid as you to believe it actually worked!" He pushed Chris into an dark alley, laughing. But then, he saw a strange glow coming from the darkness, then he heard a growl._

 _Chris came in his direction, revealing himself as the "monster" from the newspaper (his Tazzy form). Tania gasped as she observed everything. When Chris stared at Zach firmly and growled, Varmitech panicked and ran away._

 _Chris turned to Tania, and saw her shivering. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering what he would do. Then, she saw him holding her hand and helping her to stand up. After giving her a short smile, he ran at Zach's direction, leaving the girl behind, observing him go._

 _Zach ran to his own building, and knocked desperately on the door. "Open up! OPEN UP!"_

 _Toodles and Marina opened the door, and brought Zach in._

 _"He's after me! The suit worked! And now he's gonna get me!" the scientist said, with a desperate tone. Then, he looked at another prototype suit he stole. "Hmm... but not if I even the score!"_

 _He put the suit on, and opened the button, placing three samples of animal fur he had._

 _"Are you sure this will work?" Marina said. "Look what one animal's DNA did to Chris!"_

 _"This will make me thrice better than him!" Zach said, punching the button. "Then we'll see who's..." But before he could finish the sentence, his suit started glitching and eletrocuting him. As a strong glow filled the building, Marina and Toodles ran away, afraid about what could happen._

 _Zach crashed the door, showing his new form: t-devil fur, cheetah claws and jaguar tail. But as he growled, the police sirens were heard, and flashlights appeared everywhere._

 _A tranquilizing dart was thrown on his direction. Zach felt pain in the neck, then fainted. As the police carried him away, people around observed, and between them all, there was Chris, back to normal. He smiled, seeing his plan worked._

 _"You planned everything, didn't you?" Tania asked, meeting him after the cars were gone._

 _"I knew he would try to be better, but little did he know that the suits have some limits," Chris said._

 _"Hey... I have something for you," she said, opening the box she was holding. There was Bite-Size._

 _"Bites!" Chris said, cheerfully. "You're okay."_

 _"I found him with the kids' help. We took care of him, and I can say he was dying to see you again," Tania said, chuckling. Chris smiled, as the brown bat flew to his shoulder. He looked around to see Toodles and Marina seeing everything. Chris growled like when he was in his monster form, scaring them away, and making Tania chuckle, as they left, leaving the prototype suit behind._

* * *

Tania felt something wrapped around her arm. She looked and saw her "boyfriend" holding onto her. She smirked. "What? TOO spooky this time?"

"N-no, it, uh... just got interesting," he answered. Martin had pulled his hat over his ears and Laura was holding onto his arm.

"Geez, mom. How did Chris appear in the story?" Aidan asked.

"And Gourmand?" Mina asked.

"And Zach?" Ronan asked.

"Hey! Speaking of spooky stories... I have one that's probably not in her book," Gavin said.

"You do? Well, spill it out, sport," Martin said.

"Be warned. It's said to be true." Jimmy hid behind Koki and the boys hid behind their moms. Mina took refuge in Aviva's arms.

* * *

 **The Girl Who was Forgotten by Everyone**

 _A long time ago, there was a filthy rich family. This family had a little girl. But although they had the biggest fortune ever, and the girl had all the toys she could ever wish for... she was lonely._

 _The many maids that worked there never gave her attention. This also includes her parents, her elder siblings... even the pets didn't seemed to notice she was there. It was like she was... invisible._

 _No matter what she did, where she was, and how she said she was feeling... no one noticed._

 _No one._

 _One night, she looked through her room's window, and saw the sun set and the first star appear. Then, she remebered of a riddle about this:_

 _Star light, star bright,_

 _The first star I see tonight;_

 _I wish I may, I wish I might,_

 _Have the wish I wish tonight_

 _She closed her eyes... and wished... for a friend. For someone who would pay attention, play, draw and make her company._

 _Her wish came true. The star's light glowed through her window... and from it, her "friend" appeared. He was furry and gray, with small bat wings on his back. His eyes were scarlet, and his smile... well, calm and simple._

 _For a while, it felt great to have him close. They drew, played, made up stories and even built pillow forts. She named him Mr. Gizmo... because it felt right._

 _He was her special secret. But soon, it felt something was wrong. He was a good friend... but just because she wanted him to be. It felt he... somehow couldn't love her back._

 _Another night came, and in this particular night, there were lots of people reunited in the house. One of the maids entered the girl's room._

 _"Little one... your mommy will have a baby!"_

 _With that, the girl felt upset. She felt jealous already._

 _"How come they want another child... if I did everything for them to notice ME?!" she yelled in protest._

 _Mr. Gizmo felt her wrath, and absorbed all of it. His form changed as the girl screamed in anger and sadness._

* * *

"And then..." Suddenly, the candles' light vanished.

"Uh-oh..." Mina said. "The lights are gone."

"Just when I was getting to the best part?!" Gavin complained.

"We better go find some more candles," Martin suggested, standing up. "You know where to find some, Blythe?"

"Y-yes," the little girl said. "But I want him to come with me." She pulled on Gavin's arm. Aidan gave him an amused smile saying, "someone likes you". Gavin gave him a glare that retorted, "shut up". Blythe led the way, tugging on Gavin and Martin following.

"Wait! I'll go too," Aviva said.

"Y-yeah... I'll stay here, protecting Koki." Jimmy hid behind his grilfriend.

"My hero..." Koki said. "I meant it and also didn't."

"Wow... after all these stories... I kinda feel strange," Chris admitted.

"I know... all this darkness and silence..." Tania thought. "Speaking of silence... I wonder why no one came yet."

"Yeah... where is everybody else?" Aidan asked.

Suddenly, they heard a scream. "Is that... Blythe?" Koki recognized the voice.

* * *

"There. In the closet," Blythe pointed out.

"Wow, you really need to clean this closet, Blythe." Martin observed as he picked up the candles. "Even the cobwebs have cobwebs."

"AAAGH! What's that?" Blythe shouted, looking at the room's opened door.

"What happened?" Aviva asked.

"I saw something moving out there," Blythe said. "Something creepy."

Aviva took the candles for Martin, and he went out to take a look.

"There's nothing here, Blythe. I think it was probably a..." Martin looked back to see the door have been closed. He tried opening it, but... it was locked.

"Hey! What is going on? Open up!" Martin begged.

* * *

Blythe locked the door.

"Blythe! Open the door!" Gavin said.

"Ssshhh. I'm protecting us," Blythe said.

"What do you mean? If there is something out there, Martin will be in trouble," Aviva said.

"Don't you see?" Blythe looked at them, with her eyes turning red. "HE is the trouble, big bro and sister."

Gavin gasped. The girl clutched Aviva's skirt.

"Blythe?" Aviva asked.

"I know the end of the story. And so does Mr. Gizmo."

Mr. Gizmo's bat wings appeared on Blythe's back. Gavin shrieked.

"He told me my family ran away. But he also told me they would come back someday. And you did."

"You're... you're the..."

"Yes... I'm that little girl! I was forgotten by everyone, but not anymore! You returned... and you will pay attention to ME!"

"W-wait! We're not-" Aviva tried to explain.

"You shall not LEAVE!" Blythe screeched in fury. She blew the door off, unintentionally freeing Martin. Seeing her demonic form, the three shrieked in terror, and ran back to the others with the demonic girl in pursuit.

* * *

Everyone heard three screams from the hall. Aviva, Martin and Gavin came running, looking terrified. "Guys, what happened? And where's Blythe?" Chris asked.

"Blythe... had locked Martin out... and Blythe... she is..." the Air Guardian stammered from lack of breath.

"She's a MONSTER!" Gavin shrieked at the top of his lungs.

The crew saw red lights around the house. Blythe appeared, but she no longer looked like a human.

Jimmy shivered, but Koki was the one who fainted.

"Mr. Gizmo and I... became one and the same," she explained, her voice distorted. "He told me my family would return. And now they're here, and I'm the only one they'll ever pay attention!"

Gavin hid behind his mother.

"Wait! You got it all wrong! We're not your family!" Tanya told her. "We just came here to throw a party! That was it!"

"How do you know that Mr. Gizmo isn't lying to you?" Chris questioned. Blythe glared at him, for some reason making him shudder.

"How dare you accuse Mr. Gizmo of such a thing!" She tried to grab Chris, but Martin pushed him out of the way and was grabbed instead.

"Martin!" Laura screamed.

"Blythe! We're not your family!" Aviva said.

"They're gone! Blythe, They're gone!" Gavin protested. "I heard the real end of the story..."

* * *

 _The girl just screamed and hollered. And Mr. Gizmo absorbed all her wrath, and destroyed everything around her. EVERYTHING! Her parents... her siblings... her life..._

 _As the girl stopped crying, she looked around to see no one was there again. As she climbed down the stairs... she only saw Mr. Gizmo._

* * *

"You asked him where everybody was, didn't you?" Gavin started to cry.

Blythe gasped. Thinking back... that was exactly what happened.

"He DID lie to you. He used you for your anger. To make himself only stronger. He never was your friend."

Blythe's normal eyes appeared. What have she done? A tear escaped her eyes. Soon, she started to feel pain. Mr. Gizmo seemed to try to keep in control.

"You lied to me! You're not my friend anymore!" Blythe protested.

"We need to help her! She's as much of a victim that we are!" Aviva said.

"But how?" Chris asked.

Gavin looked at the window. There was a glowing star.

"Maybe if I say that riddle again..." Gavin had an idea. Then, he stood up and took a deep breath.

 _"Star light, star bright,_

 _The first star I see tonight;_

 _I wish I may, I wish I might,_

 _Have the wish I wish tonight"_

Gavin closed his eyes and wished. Soon, Mr. Gizmo left Blythe's body, being carried back to the light. Blythe was held by Aviva, while they all watched the light vanish.

Blythe breathed heavily, then she started to cry.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... For all this time, I've took people away, believing in Mr. Gizmo's words... but I'm actually alone... I have no one... like always..." She knelt, sobbing.

Suddenly, they all heard some nearly-quiet footsteps. Everyone looked to see Martin looking down the stairs and gasping after seeing at who was coming up.

Ghost-like people appeared from every corner of the house. They were all people that Blythe took to the other world. Between them... was Blythe's family.

"Mom? Dad? Brother? Sister?"

"Blythe... we want you to meet your new brother." Her mother showed her a ghost baby. Her mother wasn't going to have a baby... she already had the baby before Mr. Gizmo destroyed everything.

"We never forgot about you," Blythe's sister said. "Sorry we kept ignoring you... but Mom needed our help. A baby needs lots of care... but that didn't mean we didn't love you."

Blythe wiped some tears.

"Well, looks like the story I heard wasn't fully true," Gavin noticed.

"Come. Let's go." Blythe took her mother's hand. They needed to leave.

"Thanks. You all saved me."

"And never forget, Blythe... even after you're gone... I'll think about you as a friend," Gavin said, wiping some tears. Blythe smiled to him and to all the team, that was waving to her. She embraced Gavin, making him blush a little.

Once she reunited with her family again, she closed her eyes, and recited the riddle again, vanishing with her family. Martin put a hand on Gavin's shoulder.

"I'm proud of ya, sport. You not only faced a fear, you became friends with it." Gavin embraced the Kratt in blue.

* * *

"Wow, now that's a story that's got to be put in the book," Aidan said as they all left the mansion.

"I definitely agree," Gavin supported.

"There you are!" They saw Katie, in a Corpse Bride costume. "We've been looking for you guys for a long time!"

"Yeah, we had to cancel the party. The host got sick," Jenny, with her Koki costume, explained.

"What?" Laura asked. "It wasn't here?"

"Oops." Tania looked at the address. "I turned the address upside down. It was actually 696. Sorry, guys."

"This house has been abandoned for a long, long time," Coraline said. "There were stories about a girl that was forgotten by everyone that died of loneliness."

"Well... the story isn't actually like that," Gavin said.

"Huh?"

"Come on. I'll explain it," the boy invited them to enter the now-empty mansion. "Halloween Night isn't over yet."

"Speaking of stories, where did you get this book, Tania?" Chris asked.

"At the House of Enchanted Tales downtown," Tania said, leaving them all with blank faces. "What, I didn't know it meant they were literally enchanted!"

They all laughed about that, as they followed the kids inside. Despite all problems, this has been a very special Halloween.


	35. Episode 36: The Wild Catts

Chris and Martin were in their Peregrine Falcon suits withy Mina riding on Chris's shoulders. They were currently flying over the African Savannah.

" _Grass, grass, grass, tree,_ " the nymph chimed.

" _Just the life for you and me!_ " the brothers finished. The three siblings laughed.

"Can't wait to see He-Who-Breathes-Fire. Or...wait, what was his name in Swahili again?" Mina asked.

"Ane Pumuwa Moto."

"Doesn't sound anything like his translated name."

"It sure doesn't."

"Still prefer He-Who-Breathes-Fire. It's easier to pronounce."

"We're here," Martin announced.

The Kratts landed a couple of meters from some rocks.

"Hey, something's not right," Chris commented. "No one is home."

"Unless they're on the hunt," Martin guessed.

"True. The six cubs were around that age where they can join the pride on a hunt."

"Hey! I think I see some lions coming this way!" Mina pointed out over the Savannah. They were definitely lions. Two were lionesses and the one in front was a male. But something was wrong. No young lions were following them. The three grown lions looked around their home frantically.

"Where are the cubs?"

"I think they're who the adults are looking for," Martin answered her.

"Guys!" Aviva called on their Creature Pods. Chris answered his first and image came up. "We just got some reports from local Wild Kratts Kids and even Nina in Central America that some of the wildcat cubs and kittens have disappeared!" They gasped.

"Which ones?" Martin asked.

"Spot Swat, Shadow, Hangtime's kittens, and you might have just noticed that He-Who-Breathes-Fire's cubs are missing from the pride."

"Yeah, they just came back and they look really worried," Mina told her.

Mina tried approaching them. At first, the lionesses growled at their presence, but He-Who-Breathes-Fire stopped them, recognizing the Kratt Brothers.

The bros got out their medallions and activated them.

"Ane Pumuwa Moto!" Martin greeted. The leader casually came up to them.

"Hello, Leaders of the Kratt Pride," he responded. At first, they stood there surprised.

"Is that what you call them?" Mina asked the lion.

"Precisely. They helped me in returning to help the lionesses and the cubs." The lion explained. "According to them, I had a "bad hair day"."

Both male siblings blushed in embarrassment and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, I remember that from the WK Diary. That's what the adventure was called." He chuckled in amusement.

"I can see why. But we have more important matters on our hands."

"We can see that," Chris told the leader. "What happened to your cubs?"

"Some... thing in white was scurrying by, but we didn't pay much attention. Before we knew it, all six were gone."

"Thing in white?" Martin asked.

"I saw it was a human. A big-nosed one with a crazy voice," one of the lionesses said.

"Gourmand!" Mina, Martin and Chris exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gourmand trapped his new acquisitions in cages.

"Six little kitties fresh for me, six more kitties for my delicacy!" the chef sang. In three smaller cages nearby were other preteen cubs. One was a cheetah, another was black jaguar and in the same cage were two caracal kittens. "Ten little kittens plucked today, so many for my feline buffet!" He laughed evilly. The cheetah preteen tried clawing him when he got close, but Gourmand dodged. "Woah! You're really full of energy and flavor! I'll make sure to cook you for my appetizers!" Spot Swat growled in protest as the chef left the room.

"No way am I going on any menu!" the teenage speedster snarled. The black jaguar laying on his stomach stared at him.

"You say that like you have a plan," Shadow deadpanned. Spot Swat glared at him.

"And what are you supposed to be? A fat, black leopard?" The Caracal Twins went to as close to the exit of the cage as they can, wondering what's going on. The six lion cubs watched silently too. Shadow narrowed his eyes before standing up.

"First of all, I'm a jaguar from another continent. And second, words won't be enough to get us out of here."

"He's right. No fighting, guys," Lil' Cubby said. Screensaver sniffed Shadow.

"Hey, you smell familiar," he thought for a while. "Have you guys heard about the Wild Kratts?"

All the cubs looked at each other. "YOU KNOW THEM?!" they exclaimed.

"Well, there's something we have in common," Spot-Swat said. "So, if we all know the Wild Kratts, we all received names from Martin, right?"

"Well, we were named by the girls and the other boy from the team. Roll call, guys. Lil' Cubby."

"El Cutisimo."

"Screensaver."

"Cat Burglar."

"Martin."

"Chris."

"Wow," Spot-Swat commented. Two of the cubs named after the Kratt Brothers? How did THAT happen? "Okay then. I'm Spot-Swat."

"Shadow," the jaguar said.

"Pouncemore, and my little sis doesn't have a name yet," The caracal brother said.

"Bummer. Well, now that we are all introduced, we might as well work together to get out of here." Every wildcat nodded. Then Cat Burglar had an idea for something other than escape.

"Hey, since we're going to be a team, why don't we give ourselves a team name like the Wild Kratts do?" he asked. They all looked at him.

"I like that idea," Pouncemore commented.

"Me too," his unnamed sister agreed.

"Okay then, what should we be?" Shadow asked.

"Hmm... well, we were named by the Wild Kratts, and we're all non-domestic felines, so... how about "Wild Catts"?" Spot-Swat suggested. Everyone thought about it.

"I like it!" Martin exclaimed.

"Me too!" Chris said.

"It's a perfect name!" the Caracal Siblings commented. Shadow smiled.

"Well then, Wild Catts it is," the jaguar concluded.

"Hey! Quiet you! Trying to work around here!" Gourmand kicked and punched their cages.

They all growled at him. The villain went back to cooking. The cheetah examined the room. An idea came.

"Shadow, what are your spots for?" he whispered to the rare jaguar.

"Blending into the darkness of the dense rain forest," he told him. "Why?"

"Try using your camouflage here."

* * *

Meanwhile, the Wild Kratts searched for more clues of the disappearing cubs.

"So, you were here hunting," Chris analyzed the place, while questioning Blur, "then what happened?"

"I just came back to the spot I told my cub to stay and observe, and he was gone," the mother cheetah said. "All that was left was this." She pointed to a piece of paper that she had under her paw. Chris picked it up and examined it.

"Cheetah Bites? Jaguar Pot Roast? Cara-Kabobs? Lion-Burgers? Gourmand is going to turn the world's most endangered wildcats into a buffet of feline meat!"

"Oh, no! My Spot-Swat!" Blur gasped.

"Guys! I know now what Gourmand's planning! I'm coming back with Blur!" Chris warned.

* * *

Gourmand hummed to himself as he went over to the cage with Shadow. But when he peeked in, it appeared like nothing was there. "What? Where did it go?" He opened the cage, only to be tackled back by a blur of black. Swiftly, Shadow managed to unlock Spot-Swat's cage and the lion cubs' too. As the six pounced on Gourmand, Spot-Swat freed Pouncemore and his sister.

"Quick! Everyone out the door!" the cheetah said and they all sprinted to the far side of the room. The chef got up and growled.

"I'll make sure to cook the black kitty first." With that, he followed them.

Spot-Swat growled. "I'll handle him! Let's just say I have some things to discuss with him," he said, while the others ran to the door.

Gourmand and the cheetah faced each other.

Shadow and the other cubs tried opening the door. "We need something to open this thing."

"Or a way to break it," Lil' Cubby said.

"Wait, I have an idea!" Screensaver said. "Pouncemore! Give me a lift!" He said, showing his claws. "I'll slice this thing!"

"This door seems pretty thick, but okay," the caracal complied. Getting on top, the lion cub slashed his claws against the wood, leaving huge gashes in it. The slicing expertise of the lion kids continued his slashing motions. Meanwhile with Spot-Swat, the two glared at each other. The cheetah teen still remembered when Gourmand captured him and the Wild Kratts had to rescue him. Now it was payback time.

"You little kitties think you're so smart," the chef growled. "But I'll show who is "top cat" here!" He charged at the young "leader". Spot-Swat only gave a cocky smirk and went into a sprint under his legs. This made Gourmand trip over him and fall to the floor. The teenage speedster hopped on him like a trampoline and reached the others, who were already in the next room. The door was completely hacked up, but there was a hole wide enough for all of them to fit through.

"Spot-Swat, hurry!" he heard Shadow call from the other side. Quickly, the cheetah teen crawled through and was greeted by the others.

"You all right?" El Cutisimo asked.

"Oh yeah, he didn't see me coming." Spot-Swat said, breathing hard. "Phew...running is exhausting for cheetahs. Just give me a few seconds."

"Get back here, you meddling felines!" they heard Gourmand shout. Spot-Swat luckily recovered his breath in time.

"Run!" All ten wildcats ran to the open entrance of the plane.

* * *

The Tortuga crew prepared itself to rescue the cubs from Gourmand, without knowing how they were doing.

"That fat jerk! How dare he cat-nap our friends?!" Koki commented, as she comforted Hangtime, who was worried sick about her little ones.

"There is no way we're gonna let Gourmand cook any of our wildcat cubs!" Chris proclaimed. "*giggle* We still call them cubs, even though they've grown up..." He though for a moment. Checking the Wild Kratts Diary, he analyzed previous pictures from the team's adventures.

"And boy, how fast they grew up..." He gave a weak smile. Blur and the other mothers agreed, nodding with their heads. Normally, they would compete for their food, but for now, their sons were more important.

Chris called Martin, who was scanning the skies already. "Martin, any sign of Gourmand?"

"Not yet," the blonde in his Peregrine falcon suit said. "He's really good at hiding his plane, unlike everything else."

"Call us when you find anything!"

"Got it!"

* * *

On another part of the Savannah, Pouncemore peeped out of the abandoned den the Wild Catts had found before going back inside. Currently, the cubs/kittens were sharing their stories of when they met the Wild Kratts. They were right now in the middle of the Caracal Twins', being told by the unnamed sister.

"And they jumped out of the weird bird in suits designed after us," she told them. "They grabbed the thing mom brought back and tried to leave. My brother was right behind them when an owl snatched him off the ground! I didn't dare to go out there, so I waited. Then mom came home and I told her what happened. Shortly after, the Kratt Brothers and mom come back with Pouncemore. After that, they left."

"So you two nearly had the bros as cat food," Spot-Swat mused.

"What? They were in a robot that looked like what we eat," Pouncemore pointed out. They heard a stomach growl. It came from Lil' Cubby.

"Speaking of eat, we didn't get to dig into that zebra dad caught," he admitted.

"I didn't have lunch either," Shadow said.

"Or us," said the Caracal Twins.

"Well, looks like we have some hunting to do," the cheetah spoke.

"Okay, so what do you guys eat around here?" Shadow asked.

"Usually gazelles," Spot-Swat said.

"Zebras!" the lion cubs said.

"Guinea fowls!" the caracals exclaimed.

"Never saw any of those before," Shadow said.

"Of course not, jungle cat. You said yourself that you're not from Africa," the cheetah pointed out. If cats could blush, the black jaguar would be red in the face as he smiled nervously.

"Oh, yeah."

"Hey, I have an idea," the caracal sister said. "Why not have a prey buffet?"

"'Prey buffet'?" they all asked, confused.

"Yeah. With gazelles, zebras and guinea fowls. Sorry we don't have what you eat, Shadow."

"Don't worry about it. We jaguars eat almost any creature, even crocodiles," he informed.

"Crocodiles?!" the other nine claimed in shock.

"So you know what those are. Okay, so that's another prey for the buffet."

"You eat crocodiles?" Spot-Swat asked incredulously.

"On occasion. They really taste good, although they're tough to get." After a little silence, everyone stood up.

"So we all know what we're bringing for lunch, right?" the apparent leader asked. Everyone nodded. "All right then, Wild Catts. Just to be sure, be on the lookout for that fat human. He can be anywhere. And for more safety, come back to this den when you have collected your prey." Another simultaneous nod. "Then let the hunt begin!" One by one, the Wild Catts went off to search for their prey.

* * *

*BG music: Mika - We Are Young*

Each of the cubs searched for their food.

Shadow looked for some crocodiles, but he didn't count on the croc mom coming.

Spot-Swat, way fastier than when he was a cub, ran after a gazelle, but unfortunately missed.

Pouncemore and his sister hunted guineafowls, and since they were in two, both got their preys quickly.

The six lion cubs searched for zebras, but they all got confused by their camouflage. It was hard hunting without their parents.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, each member of the Wild Catts returned, exhausted. The Caracal Twins were the only ones that returned with food.

"Well, all we have are guinea fowls, but I guess it's okay for now," Spot-Swat said. "Nice job, Pouncemore and you too, girl."

The female caracal sighed. "I really wish I had a name..." She jumped to take a look around and gasped. "Uh-oh. Here comes Mr. Fatty!" She said, seeing Gourmand approaching.

* * *

"We're on our way, guys!" Martin and Chris said, preparing to find the cubs.

Chris was in his Cheetah suit, searching the grasslands. Martin was high up above in his Falcon suit again. The African wildcat parents went in separate directions to cover more ground. Around the felines' necks were special collars that are used as communicators in case they find the cubs.

"No one here," the brunette said.

"Nothing I can see besides grass and herbivores," Martin added. "And a crocodile. Wait! That's Crocodilla! And she seems... agitated. Going in. Might be a clue." He went into a stoop and pulled up before he could crush into the ground. "Woah. There's a scratch on your face. How did that happen?"

"Some black leopard or whatever it was tried to get a bite out of me," the croc replied, obviously aggravated.

"A black leopard? There's only one creature that might be confused with a leopard and is black: Shadow the Black Jaguar! Which direction did he flee in?"

"I never stopped looking in that direction." Martin followed her long of sight. Indeed, there were some cat tracks in the dirt.

"Thanks Crocodilla. Rest that scratch." He took off again and called the others. "P-Falcon to Big Cats, P-Falcon to Big Cats. I got a lead. Follow me."

"Coming!" all five responded.

* * *

The Wild Catts hid inside the den. Luckily, it was small enough for Gourmand not to see. "Where are you?!" he shouted angrily. "You're going to regret ever picking a fight with me!" Meanwhile, Shadow and Screensaver watched by the entrance while everyone else shared the birds. They of course left plenty for their two friends.

"Now that we're full, we got to make a plan to take him down," Chris said.

"I know Chris," Spot-Swat replied. "But we can't just rush out there and just hope he's too slow." The teenage cheetah's eyes widening before narrowing as he smirked. "Or is he?"

* * *

Gourmand looked around. The cheetah chirped, calling his attention, then started running. Seeing the spotted cat, the chef ran in his direction, but soon he was tackled from behind by the Caracal Twins. The lion cubs started biting his clothes, being helped by Shadow.

Just by that moment, the Wild Kratts arrived. They got surprised about what they saw: all ten missing cubs sitting on top of the chef. The little cubs defeated Gourmand by themselves?

"Gah! Have your stupid cats! I'm outta here." Gourmand stood up angrily while the cats jump off. Shadow growled at him, scaring the chef back to his plane.

"Wow. That was AWESOME!" Chris stated. "It is unusual for different species of wildcats becoming friends in a competitive place like the Savannah, but you guys just broke the law and joined forces."

"I'm impressed! And really proud of you!" Martin said, opening his arms for the cubs to tackle him. At that moment, Pouncemore's sister whispered something on his ear.

"Oh, yeah...haven't named you yet..." Martin said.

"You should have seen her, Martin. My little sis is a great jumper just like mom." Pouncemore said.

"Jumper!" Martin concluded. "It's perfect! Pouncemore and Jumper."

Jumper licked his face, happy with her new name.

* * *

Later, in the Central American forest, Shadow was left again in the forest. "Bye, Shadow!" Mina waved, as the Tortuga lift off.

"Now _that_ was an interesting story," Martin said, writing in the Wild Kratts Diary about their day. "And the Wild Catts... *giggle*... sorry, can't say that with a straight face... ahem, they reminds me of... well, us."

All the crew got confused.

"Look at all of us. People from different places, with different interests, joining forces for the same mission," Martin reflected.

Everyone smiled at that statement. Then one by one, they united hands and wings in a circle.

"Saving the planet with Creature Power!" they exclaimed together, throwing their hands into the air.


	36. Episode 37: Meerkat Kingdom

During a sunny day in the African savannah, the Kratt siblings drove around on the Createrra VX.

"Nothing like a normal day on the Savannah. Not that the previous adventures weren't fun, but..." Martin was saying.

"I know what you mean, bro. Even Nature Guardians deserve some normal life. At least, that's our normal," Chris chuckled. "I only hope today we find a cool creature." Suddenly, one of the Createrra's wheels got stuck in a hole, stopping the vehicle.

Mina looked down. "Wow! That's a huge hole."

"Is it from an aardvark?" Chris asked, as he and Martin left the Createrra.

"Maybe... it is pretty big." Mina took a closer look. Then, a meerkat popped out of it, sniffing Mina's face, and making her and Chris chuckle.

"Awww..." Mina said. "What a cutie."

"A meerkat!" Chris said. "The Createrra's wheel got stuck right on the entrance of a meerkat lair."

"Oops. Sorry about that, Zaphod," Martin said.

"Zaphod? Naming it already?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. There's this cool show I watched one day called Meerkat Manor, where they film meerkat families adding cool drama stories on it."

"Interesting," Mina said. "And Zaphod's the name of one of the meerkat from the show?"

"Exactly," Martin said, as he entered the Createrra to drive away from there. "Uh-oh. The tire's stuck."

"This one must be Zaphod's mate." Mina pointed out to another meerkat popping out of there, and nuzzling Zaphod.

"Why not calling her Rocket Dog?"

"Another Meerkat Manor name?" Mina asked Martin.

"Yup.. Well, I guess we have a problem and some new buddies."

"Can we learn more about them? Huh? Huh? Can we?" Mina asked her brothers. She was excited to know more about meerkats.

"Sure, little sis. After all we are creature adventurers," Chris said, winking to her.

* * *

In the Tortuga, Koki and Jimmy kept staring at each other.

"They've been doing this for hours. It's getting a little creepy," Bite-Size whispered to Aviva.

"Relax, Bites. I guess all lovebirds get like this someday," Aviva said. "Hey, guys. What about calling the boys?"

"Huh? Oh, okay," Koki said, snapping out of that "trance".

* * *

"Imagine how many meerkats live down there." Chris said, as he placed the Miniturizer on the floor.

"I wanna see this closely!" Mina said, being miniturized with her brothers. Once small, they followed Roket Dog and Zaphod into their tunnel.

Inside the meerkat couple's lair, they saw many meerkats like Zaphod and Rocket Dog.

"Wow... look at all those meerkats!" Mina said.

"A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". These clans often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild," Chris explained.

"Look," Martin said, seeing four meerkat pups running to Rocket Dog, and being followed by another meerkat.

"Aww... cute! They must be RD's pups." Mina said. "And that one must be their sitter."

Suddenly, they heard Zaphod chirp.

"Looks like some kind of alert," Chris said, as they saw Zaphod return to the surface. "Wait a second... Zaphod and RD must be the alpha pair of the clan."

"You're right. And I guess it's only fair for me to name the clan as well. So they'll be called "Whiskers"," Martin said. "I can't stop referencing that show."

Zaphod returned, chirping and calling the Whiskers' attention.

"What's going on?" Chris asked himself. He and Martin activated their Animal Comprehension power.

"Zaphod, what happened?" Martin asked him.

"Enemies attacking! They want our territory and our pups!" Zaphod answered.

RD followed her mate to the entrance, being followed by the Kratt brothers.

"The Zappas are coming." Martin saw another meerkat clan approaching with his binoculars. Chris stared at him, with a confused look. "Naming makes it easier to recognize. At least, for me."

Chris received a call from the Tortuga.

"Hey, guys. Where are you?" Koki asked.

"Believe it or not, in a meerkat kingdom," Chris said. "The Createrra's stuck right in the principal tunnel."

"And the Whiskers and the Zappas are ready to fight," Martin added.

"Huh?" Koki and Aviva asked.

"We're part of the Whiskers' clan, and the Zappas clan is our rival. Like I said, naming makes it easier to recognize."

"Meerkats ready for battle here," Mina warned them, making them move out of the way so the meerkats could pass. Zaphod gave the alert to the clan, and they all charge in the Zappas' direction.

After a short battle, Zaphod and RD defeated the dominant Zappas, making the clan retreat.

"Whiskers won!" Martin cheered, being followed by Mina and Chris.

"Amazing," Aviva said, as she observed everything on the screen. "One more animal to our list, and one more Creature Power Suit for me to work on. Can you guys get some data for me?"

"Okay. And can you guys come to help us? We still have to get the Createrra out of the main entrance." Chris asked.

"Okay, we're on our way," Koki said, as Jimmy prepared to fly.

* * *

Not far from there, Zach's plane landed. Zach was thinking.

"I need a way to enter that Tortuga thingy and get my hands on Aviva's inventions. The last time I tried, the Wild Ratts always defeated me."

Suddenly, he saw the Tortuga landing close to the Createrra.

"What are those thingies?" Zach got his binoculars, seeing the meerkats popping out of the hole. Once he saw a meerkat digging, he had an idea.

"Whoever they are, maybe they can be useful..." He chuckled.

* * *

Aviva, with her buzz bike attached to the Createrra VX, moved the vehicle away from the hole.

The Kratt siblings, already normal-sized, celebrated.

"Thanks. Now the pups can go out to hunt for the first time," RD said, as the meerkats ran to a tree.

"Meerkat pups hunting for the first time? Gotta film this!" Chris said, running to meet the meerkats.

"And I gotta see this," Mina said, following her brother.

There were meerkats digging everywhere, and some were even climbing on the tree.

"Wow...to find food, they dig and even climb!" Chris said. "Meerkats are primarily insectivores, but also eat other animals like lizards, spiders, scorpions and, more rarely, small birds. They are immune to certain types of venom, including the very strong venom of the scorpions. They have no excess body fat stores, so foraging for food is a daily need."

Suddenly, they all heard a bird sound.

"A goshawk!" Martin warned. The meerkats ran to the tree to protect themselves.

"No, bro. It was a drongo," Chris said, looking up. "These guys are clever. Drongos are able to mimic the sounds made by many different species. These include birds such as pied babblers, glossy starlings, sociable weavers and pale chanting goshawks, as well as mammals like meerkats. It's useful for him when he's hunting."

Martin's belly started to rumble. "Speaking about this, I'm starving. Hey, Jimmy, brought something for us to eat?"

Then, he saw Koki and Jimmy were staring at each other again. "Ahem... JZ! You brought something to eat?"

Jimmy snapped out of the "trance". "Huh? Oh, yeah. We brought a basket full of food, so we could have a picnic."

"Great idea," Chris said, as JZ picked up a basket and a huge picnic blanket.

Soon, the team and the Whiskers were reuniting to eat. Mina then noticed a meerkat pup trying to dig.

"Hi, cutie. Oh, guys, look," she called her brothers' attention. "He's deficient of a paw." She picked up a chicken nugget. "Want a nugget, buddy? I can't eat these things, but..."

"I don't think chicken nuggets are meerkat food, Mina. Like Bite-Size, they're insectivores. But hey, Nugget is a cute name idea. None of the Meerkat Manor meerkats had that name," Martin said.

"This name is different. But so is he," Mina said. "What do you say? You want to be called Nugget?" She said, with a baby voice, as the meerkat rubbed his nose on her cheek. "Then, Nugget it is."

"Aww... she looks like you with groundhogs, Aviva," Chris pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Aviva said.

Mina started playing with Nugget, and with that, she didn't notice how far she was going. Suddenly, she heard a mechanical sound. She looked around to see an army of Zachbots. She gasped, and started running back to her brothers.

The Wild Kratts looked behind to see Mina running. Once they saw the Zachbot army and the meerkats digging to save themselves, they climbed quickly into the tree.

Once the robots seemed to be gone, they climbed down to see... that there were no meerkats left.

"Oh, no... the Whiskers... are gone..." Chris said, saddened.

"I wouldn't say that," Mina said, when she noticed that one remained with them: Nugget! He was hiding on Mina's hair. "Deficient or not, he's still a Whisker. Maybe we can get some help from him."

"Good idea." Aviva brought the M.I.K. "Any info, guys?"

"Their sharp claws help on digging just like aardvarks, and their teeth are also sharp, to help on their hunting. They can also stand on two legs, using their tail as support, just like red kangaroos," Chris explained as Nugget showed each of his features to everyone.

"It would make a good suit, wouldn't it, Koki?" Aviva asked. "Koki?" She looked back to see her BFF and her boyfriend were once again on their "trance".

"Someone should talk with them. They're distracting themselves from their work," Chris said, sighing.

"Okay. Keep saying which features to put on the meerkat disks. I'll be working here." Aviva told Martin and Mina.

Chris and Bite-Size deciced to talk with the two lovebirds.

"Uh... sorry about interrupting you... again. But I think you might, MIGHT, be overdoing it. I mean, I know you're dating, and you love each other, but... you just don't stop with the staring thing."

"Well, that's what lovebirds do, isn't it?" Jimmy asked.

"I agree with Bites. We all know how much you love each other, but by focusing only on each other, you're keeping yourselves from helping us in the mission."

Koki thought for a instant, and so did Jimmy.

"Jimmy, they're right. We ARE overdoing it," Koki admitted. "Sorry, guys. Guess we didn't help much here."

"We'll try to not do it again," Jimmy promised. Chris and Bites smiled.

* * *

Zach observed the Whiskers in the cage.

"Hmmm... a helmet and an armor must be enough for each of you thingies." Zach pointed at one of them, and RD bit him.

"AGH!" Zach quickly removed his hand. He glared at the creatures. "I guess you want to be the first, huh? Then so be it!"

RD shivered.

* * *

"Okay, let's see... imunnity to certain poisons, supporting tail, sharp claws and teeth, perfect hearing and sense of smell, climbing abilities... phew! Meerkats are more complicated than they seem," Aviva said, while finishing programming the disks. "But there ya go. Meerkat powers for the three of you."

Once the Kratt bros and Mina put their suits on, they touched Nugget. "Activate Meerkat Powers!" they said.

Once they were fully transformed, Nugget climbed on Mina's shoulder, making her laugh.

"Zach's plane's not so far from here," Koki said, using her Villain Radar on her Creaturepod and sending the coordenates to the siblings.

"Thanks, Koki," Mina said. "Let's get going, Meerkratts!"

"Meerkratts?" Martin asked. "Really?"

"You have something better?" Mina asked.

"Um... no."

"Guys! Dontcha need to go?" Aviva asked.

"Oh, yeah..." Mina blushed. "As I said, let's go!"

"To the Creature Rescue!" the Kratt siblings cheered.

* * *

The Meerkratts ran across the savannah following the coordenates. Once they found Zach's plane, they took a look inside.

The Whiskers were all equiped with mind-control helmets and armors.

"Now you only obey me. I'll show you once again the Tortuga HQ. And I want you all to find a way of entering it," Zach said, with leader posture.

"Zach smells like oil and meaness," Mina growled.

"Speaking of smell, Aviva really worked well on our suits' sense of smell," Martin said. "The meerkats' sense of smell can be compared to a dog's."

"Now testing the climbing feature," Chris climbed on the plane's boxes quickly, being followed by Mina and Martin. From there, they saw the Whiskers hearing Zach.

"There are small voids in the Tortuga's shell and there are also air ducts. You spread in groups and enter the place," Zach pointed out on the screen.

Mina saw Rocket Dog and Zaphod in front of all the group. "I guess we can use the claws to remove the helmets."

"One by one?" Martin asked. "Now this is gonna be hard."

"Unless we slash instead of the helmets the remote control that control them all," Chris pointed out to a button glowing on Zach's remote.

"If only we could distract him and then act..." Martin said. Then, he saw Aviva waving to them.

She pressed a button on her backpack and made her mechanic arm scratch Zach's plane, calling his attention.

"What was that?" Zach asked, irritated for being interrupted. Once he walked away, dropping his controller.

"This is our chance," Martin said, climbing down to reach the controller. Chris, Nugget and Mina stopped in front of the hypnotized crew.

"We're gonna need your help, Nugget," Mina said. Nugget chirped, removing Rocket Dog and Zaphod from their trance. They quickly slashed the helmets, freeing the couple completely, and observing them reuniting with Nugget.

"What?" Zach looked back, seeing Martin slashing his controller and freeing the Whiskers.

"Let's go, guys!" Chris called. All the meerkats ran to the exit, scaring Zach, and making him jump in the nearest Zachbot's arms.

"Now you know how I felt when your Zachbots attacked us," Mina said.

"You'll pay for this, you Wild Rats!" Zach growled.

"He always says that." Chris rolled his eyes. "Let's get home, Whiskers."

* * *

All the Whiskers returned to their underground lair.

"Mission accomplished, guys," Mina said. "We met new creature buddies with amazing features and performed another excellent creature rescue."

"This was a tough suit to work on. Who knew that meerkats could have so much stuff?" Aviva said. "But Meerkat Kingdom is saved."

"I love meerkats!" Mina said.

"And I love my boyfriend. But we promise we'll never put our relationship over our job again," Koki said.

"Thank goodness," Bite-Size said. "Meerkats are really awesome. Skinny creatures, but good in battle..."

"Immune to many kinds of poison..." Koki added.

"Have awesome hearing..." Jimmy said.

"Sharp claws and teeth..." Martin said.

"Living free in Meerkat Kingdom," Chris said.

Mina giggled as Nugget nuzzled her cheek. "I love you too, Nugget… Prince of the Whiskers clan from Meerkat Kingdom."

The crew laughed, as Nugget kept nuzzling Mina.


	37. Episode 38: Wéifēng (PgotT)

Aviva stared into the sky with its white clouds, while sewing something. She was beginning to doubt that she'll ever find her Guardian Weapon. The crew had searched for months, but no luck.

Koki combed Mina's hair, and Jimmy finished programming a certain videogame inspired on Bite-Size.

"There! All done, Bites. Wanna try it?" Jimmy asked, showing the brown bat a helmet small enough for his head.

"Okay!" Bite-Size agreed.

The little brown bat placed on the helmet just before the frame loaded.

"I wanna try it after him, sweetums," Koki said it, after finishing Mina's hairstyle. "This hair-do will match the dress Aviva made for you."

"Done! A brand-new dress for you, Mina. Your favorite color and designed with paw prints for your favorite animals." Aviva entered, showing the dress she made. Mina stared in awe.

The dress was pink and had cheetah, wolf and chameleon paw prints. In the center, there was a flower just like the one in her other dress.

"I love it! Wait till I show it to my brothers!" Mina hugged Aviva, and rushed to change clothes.

* * *

Outside, Chris launched an arrow of light at a small rock. It broke the rock and a little flower grew from underneath.

"Nice, Chris," Martin commented. "Your accuracy sure is getting better. Not that it was bad in the first place."

"No offense taken, bro," the brunette answered. He put his bow away and went to pick the flower. With little effort, he turned the yellow blossom into beautiful yellow topaz. "I'm getting better at crystalizing stuff now. It's usually controllable when I'm not upset."

"Hi, brothers. Whatcha think?" Mina showed them her new dress and hairdo.

"Pretty cool, Mina." Chris gave her the flower. "And this is for you."

"Aw, isn't you the most cutest nymph ever?" Martin gave her a eskimo kiss (rubbing noses).

Mina giggled. "Thank you guys."

Then, she looked down to see... a bear?

"Wow, a bear cub!"

"A Panda bear cub!" Martin and Chris recognized the black and white pattern.

"He seems sad." Mina noticed the panda's expression.

"I think I know why. His mom is not here. He's too young to be out by himself."

"And he's far away from the nearest bamboo forest. Pandas only eat bamboo and the forest is two miles from here."

"So then, how did he get here?" Mina asked, picking up the cub.

"Look. His paw!" The nymph was right. His paw was wounded, like he has been hit by something.

"First things first: we gotta take him inside to take care of this paw," Chris said.

His siblings nodded and they headed inside. "Tortuga! We have a lost, injured panda cub! We need the first aid kit!"

"Oh, pobrecito..." Aviva held him carefully.

Koki brought up the first aid kit and started bandaging the panda cub's paw.

Martin and Chris activated Animal Comprehension to talk with the little one.

"Don't worry, little cub. You're with friends," theKratt in blue assured.

"X-Xièxiè," the cub said.

"Huh?" The bros cocked their eyebrows.

"What did he say?" Jimmy asked.

"Another language. Chinese to be exact," Chris said as he scratched his head in confusion.

"I don't speak Chinese." Aviva said. "Wait! There's an Wild Kratts Kid here in China. Maybe she can help us!" She pointed out, remembering of Yi, from the Attack of the Tree Eating Aliens adventure.

"Good point. Where's her home?" Martin asked.

"Let's see..." Koki used her computer to look for Yi, and succeded, pointing that the girl was not to far away from them.

* * *

Yi sat in her room at her desk, drawing a sketch of a little Asian longhorn beetle she caught. She always did like the cool pattern it has. Suddenly, the wind outside picked up speed. It blew into Yi's room and she looked outside. Landing nearby was the Tortuga.

"The Wild Kratts!" she said joyfully. The young girl grabbed her jacket and rushed outside.

"Hola, Yi!" Aviva said.

"Hi, guys! Oh, I remember you from the time we reunited to help the boys defeating Zach." Yi recognized the nymph.

"Hey, Yi. Listen, we have a problem," Mina said, while Martin brought the panda cub.

* * *

"Wow! You can talk with animals?" Yi asked, amazed.

"Yeah, but he only seems to speak Chinese."

"Well, if I could understand him, I could help," Yi said.

Chris put his necklace on her, activating Animal Comprehension. "I think this will help."

Yi cleared her throat. "Ni hao, xiao jiāhuo. Ni néng lijie wo ma? (Hello, little one. Can you understand me?)" she asked.

"Shì, shì wo zuò de, (Y-yes, I can,)" the panda answered.

"Wow, it works." She looked down at the medallion before continuing the conversation. "No zài gànshénme yuanlí kiāxiāng? (What are you doing far away from home?)"

"Still not understanding a word," Jimmy said as the two continued to talk.

"Be patient. Yi's the only one that can help."

"Oh, no," Yi gasped. "His mother… is dead."

"What?!" The Wild Kratts gasped.

"According to him, she was killed by a human with a thing that made noise."

"A gun." Koki gasped. "Oh, no."

"I can't believe people still kill pandas!" Martin said, upset. "They're near extinction!"

"Though the Wolong National Nature Reserve was set up by the PRC government in 1958 to save the declining panda population, few advances in their conservation were made, owing to inexperience and insufficient knowledge of ecology. Many believed the best way to save them was to cage them," Chris explained.

"As a result, they were caged at any sign of decline, and suffered from terrible conditions. Because of pollution and destruction of their natural habitat, along with segregation caused by caging, reproduction of wild pandas was severely limited," Martin continued. "In the 90s, however, several laws helped their chances of survival. With these renewed efforts and improved conservation methods, wild pandas have started to increase in numbers in some areas, though they still are classified as a rare species."

"But why is this man hunting the pandas?" Aviva asked.

"Why else? Sell its fur, put it through taxidermy, etc. etc." The cub said some more Chinese.

"He's saying that he was looking for the Panda Guardian."

"The Panda Guardian?" they all asked.

"I heard of him, but it's only a story, a legend that was here for only more than 50 years."

"50 years? That's it?"

"Can you tell us?" Martin asked.

"Well, let me start with the beginning. It's sort of like the prologue."

* * *

 _"Long ago, a young and beautiful girl lived in the Wolong valley with her family. She was a shepherdess, loved by all who knew her for her kindness and good nature. Whenever she took her sheep into the hills a young panda would come to join her flock, perhaps mistaking them for its own kind for in those days pandas were all white._

" _One day the panda arrived as usual, but it had not been playing with the flock for long when a leopard jumped from a tree and begun to savage the helpless cub. Careless of her own life, the girl picked up a stick and began to beat the leopard. The panda ran off, but the leopard turned on its attacker and killed her._

" _When the other pandas heard this, they were stricken with grief. All came to attend the girl's funeral, and as a mark of their respect they covered their arms with ashes as was the custom._

 _At the funeral, they could not contain themselves. They wiped their eyes to dry their tears, and hugged themselves as the sobbed. The cries became so loud that they covered their ears with their paws to block out the noise. Wherever they touched themselves the ashes stained their fur black and since that day all pandas have carried these marks._

" _Overcome with sorrow, the girl's three sisters threw themselves into her grave, whereupon the earth shook and in place of the grave a huge mountain appeared. That mountain still stands, and is called Siguniang-the four sisters mountain. Each sister was transformed into one of it's peaks, and between the ridges that spread from it the sisters continue to protect the pandas to this day."_

* * *

"Wow, that's such a sad story," Mina said, wiping the tears from her eyes. The others had gotten teary-eyed as well.

"What friendship and loyalty." After a couple of seconds, everyone calmed down.

"Now for the new part.

* * *

" _Fifty or more years ago, an old, wise, foreign monk that was hurt stumbled into the Wolong Valley. Instead of treating him like a beast, the pandas aided him in his restoration. The man carried two fans of steel, and a strange white necklace. With these two things, he brought forth the most powerful winds, which blown out any miscreants that entered and threatened to harm his saviors. But after a while, he could not stay in his old, withering form and the government was going out of control. So, he changed his form into his panda friends with the winds he commanded and gave up the necklace to his home deity. The only thing he kept was the hat he had on and the two fans of steel, which he hid somewhere on the mountain. No one has seen this man or his new form, but the winds still blew, warning any that wishes to do harm to the forest enters will pay the price. He had become the Panda Guardian. Wéifēng."_

* * *

"Wéifēng?" Mina asked, confused about the name.

"It's Chinese for "breeze"."

"Well, from the legend you just told us, he is NOTHING like a breeze," Jimmy commented.

"Yeah. It's more based off his kindness to the pandas and how he protects them."

"Kindness..." Aviva repeated. She then gasped. "Kindness! My element! Wéifēng must've been the last Air Guardian before me!"

"What?!" everyone else asked in surprise and confusion.

"Think about it! He was a foreigner to China, could make the winds blow with his fans and that necklace, and keyword 'kindness'! The necklace must've been the Air Gem! And those fans! They must be my weapon!"

"Hmm… maybe..." Martin thought. "I guess we'll have to find out when we get there. Yi, where's Siguniang?"

"We can find Mount Siguniang some miles from my home. The mountain is huge, so you better get ready to climb it." Yi said.

"But in which of its peaks is the Panda Guardian?" Koki asked.

"Yaomei Feng! Yaomei Feng!" The panda cub said.

"In the highest peak, Yaomei Feng," Yi said

"Thanks Yi," Chris said, picking his medallion back. "You were a big help. Let's get this little guy home while we search for Wéifēng."

"And find a name for this little guy too," Martin added, ruffling the fur on the cub's head. Martin carried the baby as the crew got on the ship.

"Good luck!" Yi called before they took off.

* * *

"Where is that stupid old panda?" a black haired man with a rifle complained. "None of the ones I saw were him. And if I don't find HIM and retrieve THOSE before THEM, then SHE'LL..." He gulped at the thought.

* * *

"Okay, guys. Prepare yourselves for the most hard climbing you've ever had!" Chris put his backpack on, then wrapped a rope around everyone.

"Everybody OK?" Martin asked.

"Si!"

"Yup."

"I'm fine."

"I'm okay. And the panda cub's okay too."

"All right! Let's do this!" Chris said, with leader posture.

* * *

Near the peak of the mountain, an old panda sitting cross legged with a long white, monk mustache wearing a Chinese hat cracked a green eye open. He felt something. Something familiar. He breathed in the air.

"Ah, so they finally come," he said, his voice low and wise. "I have been waiting decades for this day. And now, my heir comes near." By his sides were two fan like objects. "I await you, new Air Guardian."

* * *

The Wild Kratts worked together to climb the first peak. DaFeng was tough, even for Chris. After a long time climbing, it was nighttime, when they reached the top of the first peak.

"Well, we made it to DaFeng, the first peak. But we should get some rest before going on," Chris said.

"I agree. We're all tired and need to eat," Martin said, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, the poor cub is starving," Mina pointed out. The cub had started nibbling on small bamboo stocks. Her stomach growled. "And so am I." The crew laughed.

"It's going to be pretty dark. Good thing I packed some wood for Koki and Jimmy to burn." The blonde took out four logs of wood. Everyone just stared in surprise.

"How did he...?"

"Don't ask, Mina. He just does it," Chris answered before she finished. Martin placed the wood in an area of all dirt. Koki used her medallion powers to light it.

"We"ll camp here. And we start climbing tomorrow early," Chris said, while Jimmy started preparing snacks.

* * *

No one but the cub could sleep. Thoughts of tomorrow kept them all awake. But no one had as much anxiety as Aviva. She could barely wait to find Wéifēng and finally have her weapon. But she was also nervous. What if Wéifēng refused her as an Air Guardian? After all, he was much older and much wiser than her. What will she do then?

"Relax, Guardians," a low voice echoed as the wind blew. Everyone shot up in their sleeping bags and looked to see where it came from. "There is nothing you must worry for. Relax. Sleep. All will be well as the sun rises tomorrow."

As the breeze gently blew through, the sound of a wooden flute played in tune. It sounded beautiful and calming. Suddenly, the whole team felt extra sleepy and Aviva knew what was causing this as they all laid back down.

"Lazy Wind... thanks Wéifēng," she mumbled before sleep finally claimed her.

* * *

The next day, Aviva led the crew in Chris' place to climbErFeng, the second peak. But they ended up caught by a mysterious blizzard.

"Wow! Where did that blizzard came from?" Mina asked herself, while shivering and protecting the cub.

"Either Wéifēng is testing us, or something is not right!" Chris shouted over the wind.

"I-I'll see if I can calm this blizzard down!" Martin yelled. The Water Guardian focused as much as he could. However, the sound of the howling wind kept messing it up. He started getting agitated with it.

"ENOUGH!" he screeched and stamped his foot down. Suddenly, the wind stopped and so did the biting of snowflakes. In fact, the flakes of snow had frozen in place. It was as if time had stopped.

"Wow," Martin said, surprised.

"Nice work, Martin. Let's keep moving," Aviva said.

* * *

Nearby, the gunner growled from behind the bamboo.

"That stupid Water Guardian. He just had to ruin it," he spat.

"Well, don't think that I already gave up."

* * *

The sun was setting on the horizon as the crew reached ErFeng's top.

"We made it, guys!" Aviva cheered. "We've reached the top of ErFeng. Two more days and we'll be in Yaomei."

"Two days?!" Jimmy complained. "Why couldn't we have just taken the Tortuga?"

"Because of the peaks, Jimmy. The place might be big enough for us, but there isn't space enough to park the Tortuga," Aviva explained. "I told you this before."

"I guess he was busy staring at his girlfriend," Chris whispered, and they chuckled.

"Well, we better set up the camp here," Martin said. He suddenly saw Mina coughing.

"Mina! What's wrong?"

"I guess she has a cold, maybe due to the blizzard. She haven't slept well last night, so she's pretty weakened." Chris held his little sister on his arms.

"We can't stop now. That'll steal our time," the nymph protested.

"Then let me carry you," Martin told her, squatting down to her level. She handed the cub to Aviva and climbed onto her brother's back. "I usually would say we need to stop, but you're right. The sooner, the better."

"Let's continue then," Aviva said.

* * *

The crew had come halfway down the second peak when it got dark. Luckily, Martin still had some wood (seriously, how do they fit in there?) and Koki lit it. Aviva took this opportunity to give Mina a check up. She had a little cough, but nothing too serious. It should better after a good night's sleep. And to ensure that, the inventor used her Lazy Wind to make her fall asleep.

Aviva stared at the last peak, where Wéifēng awaits.

"We're almost there. Almost reaching Yaomei Feng." Aviva looked at the last peak. "I only hope SanFeng doesn't bring any unexpected surprises."

* * *

The gunner chuckled darkly at her statement. "Life lesson, Air Guardian: Always expect the unexpected," he whispered.

* * *

Wéifēng stood, sensing the evil that was coming. The old panda picked up his tessens and looked down to where the team settled for the night. The evil was near them.

"Stay away from my heir and her friends," he mumbled. He opened his fan like weapons and in a single flick of his wrist, created a strong wind that went down the mountain. "If you're after the Tessens of the Anemoi, you'll have to come get them yourself."

* * *

The gunner felt a strong wind. He knew it was the Guardian.

"You don't scare me. I'll have what's my mistress'."

* * *

The next day, Mina felt better, so the team continued the climbing.

"This is the hardest to climb, guys," Koki said, leading the crew. "One little slip and we all can fall."

Jimmy gulped at the thought.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The crew held firmly, but Mina fell.

"Mina!" Chris and Martin yelled, desperate.

Aviva quickly saved her by controlling the wind and carrying her to her arms.

"Are you okay, hermana?"

"I think so. Thanks."

Chris focused as hard as he could and the shaking began to stop. He breathed in deep, having used quite the energy.

"You okay, Chris?" Martin asked, putting a hand in his shoulder.

"I'm okay," he assured everyone. "Though, it's the first time I ever stopped an earthquake."

The panda cub shivered, on Mina's arms. "Poor little guy. First, a blizzard, then an earthquake."

"What's going on around here?" Koki asked.

"I'm pretty sure no Air Guardian can make an earthquake," Chris pointed out.

"Then who's doing these things?" Aviva asked herself, until she felt their rope was cut by someone, making them all fall. Aviva concentrated and carried them all with her wind.

But she couldn't keep them aloft for long as she could and everybody fell again. Suddenly, another, but a stronger wind caught them and laid them at the top of the peak.

"Wéifēng..." Aviva thought for a moment. She believed he was the one who saved them.

"Who cut our rope?" Chris complained.

"I don't know. But I have a hunch that it was Wéifēng that just saved us there."

"I think so too," Mina said. "In fact, I keep feeling the use of Air Guardian powers ever since we started climbing. It MUST be him."

"Well, it's getting dark. We should camp here," Martin said.

"Agreed. Tomorrow, we'll climb Yaomei Feng, the highest of all peaks of Mount Siguniang," Chris said, looking back."Now that's a challenge."

Peeping from behind a rock, the gunner growled.

"Curse that Earth Guardian and that stupid panda bear!" he snarled. "They will not interfere with her plan."

* * *

By morning, they were all waking up and getting ready to climb.

"Guys! Anyone seen the panda cub?" Mina ran from her tent, not finding the cub anywhere.

"Yoo-hoo!" they heard a voice and looked up. There was the gunner, with the panda cub in a net.

"YOU!" Aviva announced. "So YOU were the one trying to kill us!"

"That is true, Air Guardian," he responded. "And if you come any closer, this cub will get it in the head!" He took out a handgun and aimed it at the cub's skull. The Kratt Brothers growled while everyone else gasped. Both bros clenched their fists. Then without warning, two crystal and ice spikes nearly impaled the man, making him cringe back and lose grip on the net.

"I got him!" Mina said, levitating to the cub and catching him.

"Get him!" Aviva said, as the gunner started climbing Yaomei Feng.

She wrapped another rope around the team, and they all started climbing.

* * *

"So close," the former Air Guardian spoke as he left his cave again. "And yet he is closer."

The gunner tried to shoot the crew, but Mina protected them with a forcefield.

"I don't... know... how.. much... longer... I can... hold it..." she said.

The gunner saw the forecefiled getting weaker, then tried shooting the panda cub.

"NO!" Aviva gasped, throwing some wind at the gunner's direction.

It threw off his aim, but managed to get the bullet to scrape against Mina's arm. The nymph let out a shriek of pain. At that, Chris and Martin just let their anger take hold. Crystal and ice spikes came at the man in every direction. The gunner barely dodged everyone of them as they reached the top.

The bros had the gunner cornered in a wall of ice and quartz at the top. He tried firing, but Martin only instantly froze it over, making it useless.

The gunner, afraid of the brothers' fury, backed up until until his back hit the wall.

"Martin, Chris, stop!" Aviva shouted.

"P-please! I was just following orders!" the gunner begged.

"Orders to what?! Kill us or Wéifēng?!" Martin snapped.

"M-my mistress wanted me to collect the tessens before your friend did! I-I was a tool! Please show some mercy!"

"Mercy?! For you?! After all you've done?!" Chris questioned.

"Guys, stop!" Aviva stood in front of the gunner. "Are you listening to yourselves? Didn't you guys give second chances to other bad people like him?"

The bros calmed down with those words. Aviva was right. What were they doing?

But as Aviva turned around, she saw the gunner pointing at the bros with another gun. Thinking quick, she pushed him away from them, and they both fell. Aviva held firmly, but the gunner held on a weaker point.

"Give me your hand!" Aviva said. "I'll help you!"

The gunner tried to reached her hand, but instead of holding her hand, he tried attacking her again, and this made him lose balance and fall.

Aviva covered her face with one of her hands, saddened for not being able to help him.

"Aviva! Are you okay?" Chris asked, climbing down to reach her.

"Sorry, guys... I tried." Aviva held his hand.

"The good thing is you're okay. And... we're sorry about that." As he pulled her up, both brothers looked with looks of guilt. The had let their rage nearly kill the gunner.

What they didn't know was that the gunner was grabbed by a dark cloud before he could even hit the ground. He gulped, knowing this meant trouble.

"Excellent job well done, my heir," a wise, old voice praised. Everyone looked to a cave and saw the one they've been seeking.

"Wéifēng," Aviva murmured in awe.

"You have not only calmed a storm of anger, but also sought to help even the evil when they were in need."

"Th-that means a lot from you."

"Kindness is not only about being nice to others... but also means giving second chances, even for people that don't seem to deserve it," the old panda said.

"I guess we already knew that," Chris said. "But Aviva helped us remember."

Martin nodded in agreement.

"I understand why you got upset. Even the coolest of minds are angered when someone or something close to them is hurt. And both the cub and your sister are very important to you." The bros nodded. "Come here, young one. And bring the cub." Mina came up to the wise Guardian.

"His mother died. He has no home and no family," Mina said. "You think you can help him?"

"I'm glad you rescued little Yang."

"Yang?"

"I name some of the pandas down in the valley. This one is the youngest. And his mother knew me well. That's why that hunter shot her. He was trying to get her to talk of my location, but she wouldn't."

"The legend spoke true. You are a loyal friend to them and they are loyal to you."

"I praise the Greek gods for her to rest in peace. Even if the gods here are different." Wéifēng rubbed his paw on the nymph's injured arm. Instantly, the scrape disappeared.

"Thanks," Mina said.

"So... Yang, huh?" Aviva said. "Like that balance symbol."

"His mother was named Yin. They represented the symbol perfectly. Young and old, female and male. But now that his mother is dead, it disrupted the balance."

"Exactly. And that's what will happen if people hurt the planet even more."

"Which is why there are Nature Guardians: to sustain the balance between humanity and nature. And speaking of Nature Guardians..." Wéifēng entered his cave and returned with the tessens. The design was mixes of pink, white and lavender. In the center was a gold colored compass rose like symbol. The team looked in awe. The panda held them in front of Aviva.

"These are now yours. The Tessens of the Anemoi, the gods of the eight winds. They had these made after reading about some old Asian culture. I, as former Air Guardian, bestow them to you, my heir."

"Gracias, señor Wéifēng," Aviva thanked in Spanish. "I'll make good use of them."

As soon as Aviva picked up the tessens, her medallion glowed, and the tessens turned into two light balls. The both of them entered the medallion, giving Aviva the ability of summoning them whenever she wanted.

Instantly, she summoned them to get used to the feeling.

"Finally, all Guardians have their weapons," Mina said.

"Mission accomplished, guys!" Martin said.

"Well, now that we have Aviva's weapon, HOW WILL WE GET BACK DOWN?!" Jimmy shrieked when he saw how high up they are. He ran over to Koki. "And no way am I climbing again!" The former Air Guardian chuckled.

"I was thinking you might say that," he told them.

Wéifēng rolled up his paws, creating a wind that could carry them all safely back to the end of the mountain, where the Tortuga was. Yang stayed with the Panda Guardian.

"Woohoo! That was fun!" Mina said.

"I gotta learn how to do that!" Aviva proclaimed.

"There you guys are!" Bite-Size flew in their direction. "I was getting worried."

"It's a long story, Bites," Aviva told the bat. "But check this out! I have my weapon!" She summoned her tessens to show.

"That's cool. Hey, I saw another dark cloud flying around. You think they messed up something again?" the bat asked.

"So that gunner was working with the owner of those clouds," Chris said.

"That must've been him in that cloud you saw," Martin guessed.

"But who made them?" Aviva asked herself.

* * *

The gunner was turned into a snail. "You have disappointed me, mister. But at least I took something from all of this." The mysterious statue's voice was heard. "I know now those Wild Kratts' weakness. And maybe I'll take advantage of this."

It laughed evilly, with its yellow eyes glowing.


	38. Episodes 39 - 40: Eris' Wrath

Two wolves made of shadows with gold eyes ran through the thicket of trees that lead to the garden. Standing there was the statue, but it was cracking. The wild dogs bowed to the statue.

"You have arrived just in time, my friends," the distorted voice said. "It is time for our plans to be set in motion."

"We await your order, our lady," Paris said. "But remember if you will please: the brothers are ours. So let's not have any real harm done to them."

"Dabio! We turned to the wrong way again, you dimwit!" they heard a voice. It was Donita Donata.

"How many wrong turn must you have us make before-" As Donita and Dabio come out of the woods, they saw the strange creatures and screamed.

"SILENCE!" The distorted voice was heard by them, making both of them get quiet.

"W-who are you?" Donita shivered, trying to get calm.

"My name is not important. Have you ever heard of the Wild Kratts?" The fashionista huffed at that name.

"Heard of them? I am stopped by them. Always ruining my fashion line of live jewelry."

"Live jewelry, you say? Hmm... how about this? You help me and my friends deal with the Wild Kratts, and you'll be free to make as much creature jewelry as you want." Donita thought about this.

"Can I have the younger Kratt Brother to make my gemstones?" she asked. Paris growled.

"Don't get too cocky, mortal!" he barked, making her yelp that it can talk. "That one is my future vessel! He's mine!"

"Yes... yes, fights, anger, hatred... sooo appreciated!" The statue's eyes glowed, and its stone surface finally cracked itself to pieces, with a dark glow that surprised all of them.

* * *

Koki was adjusting the Tortuga' systems, while Bite-Size hunt mosquitoes. It seemed like a very calm day.

Aviva was outside, testing out her new tessens. Martin, Chris and Mina were watching nearby. With a big wave, she created a blast of wind in their direction, which nearly blew them off their feet.

"Woah! Now that's a rush of air!" Martin commented.

"I'll say! I was nearly sent flying!" Mina added.

Suddenly, they received a call on the screen.

"I'll get it!" Koki said.

She went to answer it. Coming on the screen was a worried Laura and Tania.

"Wild Kratts! Thank goodness!" Laura said rather fast.

"We have a big problem happening here!" Tanya exclaimed.

"Woah, calm down, girls. I'll go get the team." Bambrick exited the room for a moment. She came back with the rest of the crew.

* * *

"It's like the weather went berserk! It's raining chocolate! And popcorn is growing on farms, and trees are upside down..." Tania explained nervously.

"And that's not even the half of it!" Laura finished telling the crew what was going on.

"That's impossible! Cool that it's raining chocolate and growing popcorn, but impossible!" Jimmy said.

"How and why is that happening?" Chris asked the girls.

"We don't know! One moment, it's all sunny and then all of a sudden, we're getting buried under chocolate bars by cotton candy clouds!" Tania told them.

"What? Even clouds out of cotton candy?" Martin questioned. "Now that's impossible."

"HELP!" Aidan yelled, being chased by an enormous frog.

"Oh no! Aidan!" the woman with glasses shrieked. "Please, Wild Kratts! You have to hurry!"

"We're on it!" Chris told her. The girls hung up. Jimmy ran to the flight controls and immediately, the Tortuga took off.

While in the stratosphere, Jimmy spotted pink clouds over their destination. "Those must be the cotton candy clouds," he said. Mina shivered.

"S-something dark is afoot," she murmured.

The Wild Kratts looked down.

"More dark clouds?" Chris asked himself. "Maybe they are behind all this chaos! They love causing trouble!"

"Or whoever is controlling them!" Aviva suggested.

"Let's just hurry and land! They need us!" Martin told everybody.

"Right!" Jimmy replied, setting the Tortuga down in the park.

Aviva huddled up all the pink clouds with her tessens, and Chris wrapped them up with his vines.

"They're running away!" Mina said, seeing the dark clouds escaping.

"Probably scared because we foiled their schemes many times," Koki said.

"Okay, but how are we going to get rid of this?" Martin asked himself. "I like candy, but not that much."

"Aidan! Here!" Chris called the boy, having an idea. The kid ran quickly to his side, and the giant frog swallowed all the clouds.

"Now that's just cartoony," Aviva said.

"And I don't think that's going to sit too well in Tuba's stomach," Martin pointed out.

"Whoops."

"Guardians! Guardians!" Luna called frantically, flying over to them. She panted from pumping her wings so much. "Lady... Hermia... needs... to speak with you... about this situation!"

* * *

In her temple, Mother Nature floated around in circles, worried about the danger that was approaching.

"Mom!" Mina called, entering with the crew. "We came as soon as we could!"

"Is the situation related to trees upside down?" Chris asked.

"And cotton candy clouds?" Martin added.

"And..." Chris was interrupted by Mother Nature's calm touch.

"Guardians, the world is in grave danger," she explained. "But also, YOU'RE in danger. For SHE has returned."

"She?" Koki questioned.

"My... my sister Eris." The crew gasped.

"The goddess of discord?" Martin asked, remembering what their friends told him and Chris about her.

"The one that killed Terra, Pyce and Rose?" Chris said.

"And the one that attacked Flora and Mina?" Aviva spoke.

"... Yes. She had escaped from her stone prison and has allied herself with the Lupus, Paris and Maximilian. And even two new allies which you know well." She took a flower from her hair and held it up. A ball of light came and showed two familiar people.

"Donita and Dabio!" they proclaimed.

"Well, better them then Zach," Jimmy said, receiving a slap on the neck from Aviva. "OUCH!"

"But why does she hate you that much?" Chris said.

"It was her jealousy that made her choose this way," Hermia said, picking another flower from her hair and turning it into a screen.

 _"Eris and I grew up under the care of Gaia, the first Mother Nature for many centuries._

 _Eris was convinced that she would be a good Mother Nature, because her magic was splendid. But it needs more than magic and perfection to be chosen._

 _Kindness and compassion are also essential, and Eris was weaker on this point._

 _So, when Gaia announced that her day was coming, she chose me as heir instead of Eris._

 _"But, Mother... my magic is not perfect," a teenage Hermia said, uncertain of that. "I'm not sure I'll take care of everything."_

 _"Or course you will," Gaia said, with a serene voice. "Your compassion and love are admirable, and I'm sure your magic will become better each and every day." She put the flower crown on Hermia's head, making Eris irritated._

 _The blonde girl left the ceremony before Gaia could even talk, and Hermia smiled weakly to the audience._

 _"All hail Mother Nature's heir!" Luna said. She was still a human at that time: her hair was blue, and her dress was yellow._

 _Eris was so upset that she ran away from the temple, and ended up searching for help in the wrong place: the Underworld._

 _King Hades started raising her as his daughter, since he and Persephone never had children."_

"Wow, that's a tough story," Chris commented.

"Ever since then, she has been doing anything to get to me. One... being killing Terra," she said that with tears in her eyes. "Oh Terra, he was such a young soul. Such a loyal subject. Even on the verge of death." The Earth Guardian felt pain come to his heart. "After she killed him, many stood up against Eris, but many died in battle. Including one of my eldest daughters at that time and her love."

"Rose and Pyce..." Koki whispered, her eyes stinging with tears.

"She was defeated by Flora, petrified and hid in the depths of the Mystical Garden," Hermia said. "They believed that it would be a good place to keep her from receiving any negative energy." Mother Nature sighed. "But we were wrong. She had used her dark magic to absorb negativity from mortals and manipulate their thoughts and emotions. I believe at least one of you know how it feels." Chris looked down in shame. He knew what she was talking about.

"Indeed I do," he confessed. "It felt like I wasn't in control of myself. Like my dark thoughts and feelings were listening to someone else. Cyrano even said that it would absorb my powers and transfer them to her."

"She actually attempted to drain you of your powers? You're lucky that your heart won out. Since your naturally born powers are part of you, even when the seal was intact, if they were to succeed, you would've died."

"Woa. Then that night was a close call," Martin said.

"Manipulate people's emotions and thoughts? At any time?" Aviva asked. "How did she do that if she was petrified?"

"Remember when your enemy Zach Varmitech stole the Earth Gem?" Hermia asked.

"How could we forget? That's when we became Nature Guardians," Chris said.

"And when we met our little sister," Martin said.

"Who spiritually IS our little sister," Koki added. Mina giggled at that.

"When he weakened the planet's barriers, he brought chaos to the world. And chaos is what gives Eris strength along with hatred, anger, sadness, greed, and depression."

"That jerkus maximus!" Aviva grunted.

"Wow... his madness goes beyond mistreating animals," Martin observed.

"I won't blame him."

"What?!" everyone said.

"Especially for being... HIM in the past."

"Him?"

"Eris once had an apprentice that became her "son" and she enchanted him to become half immortal." Chris put the pieces together, recalling the description of HIM from his friends.

"Wait a second! Zach... was Chaos?! The crazy Demi-god that Ventus, Aqua and Terra banished to the Underworld?!"

"That means... we were destined to be enemies," Martin gasped.

"And destiny continues to play its part," Hermia said. "The Fates even told of Eris escaping. And that five brave Guardians would rise up against her and defeat her once and for all."

Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind them.

"HELP!" Mina was getting dragged by the dark clouds.

"MINA!" everyone shrieked. The Guardians ran after her. Hermia attempted to as well, but the glow from the Earth Gem stopped her. She couldn't leave it unprotected.

"I can't follow you! I must protect the Earth Gem. Good luck, Guardians," she said. They nodded in understanding and ran after Mina.

* * *

The Wild Kratts followed the clouds with their sister outside. The sky was covered in storm clouds and lightning flashed. The wind blew harsh as an evil laugh echoed in the air. Everyone looked up to where it was coming from. Standing on a cloud of darkness was a woman with long blonde hair, pale skin, eyes like Hermia's but sinister, and wearing a black dress. Donita and Dabio, plus the Lupus appeared from behind the statues of the garden.

"Eris..." they breathed.

"Why, hello Wild Kratts," she greeted them sarcastically. "Nice to finally meet you all. Or maybe it should be more like, 'We meet again, Terra, Aqua, Pyce, Rose... and Flora Meredith'."

"So you're the one behind those dark clouds!" Martin said. "We should have known better."

"What have you done to my little sister?!" Aviva shouted.

Eris snapped her fingers, and Mina appeared in an energy bubble.

"What do you want from her?" Chris asked.

"This little twerp stood in my way a long time ago. I was planning to make her one of my slaves, but her sister blocked my magic with those hair clips," Eris complained.

"But, if I just take them away..." She reached into the bubble, about to grab one of the clips, but Mina slapped her away. Eris growled as she retracted her hand. "You little brat! I'll make sure you are severely punished!"

"You will not do anything to her!" Martin shouted, summoning his sword. The others followed by bringing out their weapons.

"Oh, a fight is it? Very well. A deal is a deal. They are yours. But leave the other three to me." The goddess of discord pointed at Aviva. "Especially HER. I have a score to settle with her." The Air Guardian narrowed her eyes.

The Lupus Phantasma growled, ready to attack.

"Uh-oh!" Chris gulped.

"Now you're doomed!" Donita, who was observing everything, chuckled.

"QUIET!" Eris said.

"Okay..." Donita gulped. Dabio just observed, not saying a word.

A battle ensued. The Lupus came at the bros, but they combined their powers to create a wall of ice and quartz. Donita sent out her pose beams. Koki and Jimmy managed not to get caught and even broke a few. Aviva made the first move, charging in Eris' direction with her tessens at her sides and using them to make a mighty leap up to her. Eris prepared herself and the war fans clashed with a scythe made of of darkness.

Martin knocked down Paris, and threw him in Maximilian's direction, knocking them both out.

"I hate being mean to creatures, but these guys are nothing more than darkness," the Kratt in blue commented.

"I agree," Chris said. "And after what they tried to do to us, they deserve it." They looked at where Aviva and Eris were going at each other, blow after blow. "Now let's go help Aviva and Mina."

"To the Family Rescue!" Martin charged forward. Chris was about to follow, but a sudden pain came to his head. In his mind, he saw Martin getting struck by an arrow of darkness. At the end of the vision, he gasped.

"Martin, no!" he called out.

"What? What happened, Chris?" Martin asked, turning around.

"Hey, where did she go?" Koki looked around and saw Eris was no longer there.

"Hey, Guardians!" Eris called. "Guess what? While you've been fighting, my babies have kidnapped your families! Even those who hated or were afraid of you!" She cackled evilly.

"You what?!" Aviva shouted. Everybody glared at her.

Eris cackled evilly, flying away. "Get back here, you coward!" Martin set off after her, using his ice powers.

"Martin, wait!" Chris called, running after the two battlers.

Eris's eyes glowed yellow as she commanded her clouds in Martin's direction. With his sword, he attacked his opponents easily.

Eris took the opportunity to take advantage of that. She prepared to throw an arrow of darkness in Chris's direction.

Martin, defeating the last cloud, saw the arrow being thrown. "Chris! Look out!" He rushed to push his brother out of the way, but ended up hit by the arrow.

Chris and the others gasped in horror.

"NO!" Mina shrieked, with tears of shock.

Eris laughed evilly.

"So many years, and you haven't changed a bit, Aqua," she mocked, while Martin was surrounded by dark energy. "Goodbye, little Wild Rat."

"No!" Chris cried. "NOOOO!" He dashed forward.

The dark energy vanished before he could reach it, leaving only Martin's medallion and his Creature Adventure things. Chris picked them up, shocked about what happened.

Eris escaped, laughing evilly.

Chris embraced his brother's Creature Power Suit. A wide range of the battleground was completely crystallized as he sat there on his knees crying.

* * *

*BG music : Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story*

The temple was now protected under a barrier made by the Earth Gem. Many of the local magical people including friends of the team were gathered inside. Hermia placed a blue flower in front of the Earth Gem and then laid Martin's medallion on it. Everyone's heads hung low. Chris was the only one not present. So many people weeped for the loss of their friend. But none were more broken from this tragedy than Laura and Chris. Laura had keeled to the floor sobbing once she saw the medallion being laid.

Chris was in another part of the temple, not wanting to be anywhere near the funeral. He had his back against the wall with him still holding the blue CPS and his knees to his chest. His head was buried in the suit as he continued to weep. The whole room at that point had been completely covered in an assortment of crystals.

* * *

"Huh?" Martin woke up in a very dark place. "Hello?" He looked around, and stood up. "Chris? Aviva? Koki? JZ? Anyone?" He looked around. That place looked like some kind of jail. His cell looked like it could hold a family of six people. "Either she's generous to give me a lot of room, or she wants to either make me claustrophobic or go insane from loneliness."

"I see you're awake, Aqua," that vile voice said. Martin turned to the outside and saw Eris standing there. He glared at her.

"Where am I, Eris?" the blonde male asked seriously. "And why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?" The evil goddess rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Believe me, I wanted to kill you, but the Lupus wanted you and Terra unharmed. It was part of the deal. Besides, when I thought about it, my friends will still work by my side, but in your bodies with your powers. And speaking of powers, don't even think about using them. Those cuffs prevent any sort of magic that can be used in combat from usage."

Martin looked down at his wrists. Like she said, there were gold cuffs on them and they beared garnet red stones. His angry gaze went back to her.

"As for where you are, this is my dominion. A special area of it to be exact. Where everyone I ever caught is placed. And you're lucky, Aqua. You have been placed in the cell where THEY will keep you company. Consider it my once-in-a-lifetime generosity." With a snap of her fingers, the cell door opened and a dark cloud threw four people inside before the door slammed close. Martin ran up to Eris.

"My name is Martin! And you won't get away with this!"

"Oh, I already have. Just need to breach the temple barrier so my clouds can absorb your brother's negativity." His blue eyes widened at that. She laughed evilly as she left.

Martin felt he needed to warn his brother, but how?

Wait... Eris may have blocked his powers, but not the Guardian Link. It was worth to try.

* * *

Chris continued to weep silently.

"It can't be... it can't..." He embraced the CPS again. Three dark clouds were slowly approaching him, ready to absorb his negativity.

But before they could reach him, something made Chris stop crying.

 _"Chris... stay positive..."_

"Martin?" Chris looked around.

 _"Stay positive... I'm okay..."_

"You... what?"

 _"I'm okay, bro... stay positive... keep your hope... and your spirits up."_

Chris felt somehow that was true. This made him smile, and the crystals around him disappeared. He noticed the clouds coming for him just in time.

"Stand back!" Chris said, summoning his bow and throwing three arrows of light in their direction, expelling them.

All the crew and the people reunited heard the noise and ran to the room.

"Christopher! What happened?!" Hermia asked in concern.

"Dark clouds had breached the barrier," he informed her. Everyone gasped. "And they nearly got me, but I saw them coming."

"They can get in here?!" Jimmy asked, terrified.

"Unfortunately so, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you this."

"What?" everybody asked.

"Martin's alive!"

"WHAT?!" they all asked.

"Bu-but we saw him being hit by Eris... he can't be..." Aviva said.

"I felt it... I heard his voice telling me he was okay, and to stay positive."

"His voice?" Hermia thought. "Of course! The Guardian Link!"

"Guardian Link?" Aviva asked.

"Remember when you held the scepter at the Magical Mystery Gala? You probably noticed that a mark was left on your hands," Hermia explained. "It would almost work like a blood brother ritual. Your bond became stronger. With the Guardian Link, not only Mina can find you all, even if you're without your medallions, but you can find each other as well. It's usually much stronger when two are actually related."

"You mean there's a chance my boyfriend..." Laura was saying.

"Maybe. Eris may have just made it look that he was gone... but she tricked us." Hermia clenched her fists. "By "killing" Martin, she brought despair into our hearts, making us vulnerable to her magic. She would've absorbed our negative emotions and make herself stronger than she already is."

"So she used him as bait to drown us in depression," Koki said. "So she could gain more strength." Hermia nodded.

"So if Martin's alive, where did she take him?" Gavin asked.

"She must've took him to her domain. Down in the Underworld where she was raised."

* * *

Martin smiled, feeling that he reached his brother just in time.

"Martin?" a female voice called. It was a voice he'd recognize anywhere. He turned around and saw the four people thrown in with him. Three were in the shadow of he fell, but the fourth came up to him.

"Mom?" Martin asked. Linda Kratt started tearing up.

"Martin. My little boy." She came up to her son and embraced him.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"We're fine," Linda said. "But that horrible woman also kidnapped your father, the twins and your friends' families."

"Dad's here?"

"He looks very sad. Like he was regretting something."

"Martin!" two voices said. Coming up them were two girls just slightly younger than Martin.

"Susan! Christine!" The four embraced.

"It has been too long, big brother!" Susan said.

"We missed you!" Christine added.

"And I missed you guys too!" the eldest said.

"Dad! Join us!"

"Wait, Dad?" They looked at the one still in the shadow. He had his back arched to them and his head hung low.

"No... he'll never forgive me... neither will he..." he said in a low voice that could barely be heard.

"Dad?" Martin asked.

"My biggest regret... I was a fool to listen to the darkness... and reject my two loved ones..." Mr. Kratt thought. "He'll never forgive me... never..."

Hesitantly, the Water Guardian approached him. He got down on one knee and put a hand in his old man's shoulder.

"Dad?" His father looked at him with surprise. Tears were starting to come out.

"Martin? Is that really you?"

"Yes, Dad," Martin said, trying to stay calm and not yell in anger. "Why? Why did you say that..."

"That horrible thing?" Mr. Kratt's eyes filled with tears. "I let my fear and anger control me. But it was really stupid of me tearing our family apart. As Christine and Susan grew up, I couldn't stop thinking about how were you doing. Of course, I didn't remember anything related to the powers you both had, but after that lady got us, I remembered everything."

Martin stared in surprise at his confession.

"It was her. She said something about a curse... that would bring fear and hatred into the thoughts of certain people related to these 'guardians' as she said. Many fell victim to it... including me." The rest of the Kratt family began to tear up.

"I know you won't ever forgive me, Martin... but I'm sorry."

"Dad..." His father was used to put him and Chris into despair. To weaken them and hate themselves. And his dad still felt like it was his own fault.

Mr. Kratt didn't see what was coming next: a hug from his son.

"Just let bygones be bygones," Martin said. "I forgive you, dad."

Mr. Kratt didn't hesitate in embracing his son. He felt himself way less heavy-hearted.

* * *

Mina was in a solitary cell. She was still crying over Martin's "death". Unlike most of the cells, hers was a little furnished with a bed, nightstand and table. However, her ankles were chained to a side of the wall, making her unable to leave the room.

Suddenly, the flower on her dress started glowing, calling her attention.

"Huh?"

Then, she saw Dabio, who was in front on her cell. He was sleeping, so he wasn't practically noticing anything.

Carefully, she tiptoed over to him to not wake him up. As she hoped, he had the key to her cell in his pocket. A special skeleton key to be exact. Very gently, she grasped the key and was relieved when he didn't even flinch. The nymph first used the key to unlock her binds then silently unlocked the door.

The flower on her dress glowed brighter. She was surprised that Dabio still didn't wake up, but was relieved because so. The hybrid quietly made her way to the main cell bay to get some distance between them. Mina touched her flower and sensed that a Guardian was nearby. Knowing who it was, she smiled and cried tears of joy.

"Martin's alive..."

Then, she looked back at Dabio.

"Too bad you're caring for the wrong people. I think you have a way better future waiting," she said, before running away. But little did she knew that she was being followed.

* * *

Chris and the crew was reunited around Martin's medallion.

"We know my brother's still alive... but where in the Underworld is he?" he asked himself.

"The only way to know for sure is to activate the Guardian Link," Hermia said. "It's like a homing signal so you can find each other."

"So we can find Martin even in the Underworld."

"Yes. But as I said before, the link is stronger between relatives. So Chris, you have the best chance of finding your brother."

"So lead the group, Chris. We're going to the Underworld," Aviva said.

* * *

Martin looked around from his cell. He saw Koki's brother and parents and Jimmy's grandparents, mother and uncle.

Joey and Grandma Z seemed as full of regret just like his father.

"Um, excuse me? Joey Bambrick? Jimmena Z?" he called. The two requested people came up to the bars.

"Martin Kratt?" Joey asked.

"She got you too?" Jimmena Z asked.

"Yes. I think she used me to play with my friends' feelings. Especially my brother's."

"She used all of us to get to them. Like she tried to make me do to Jimmy. I was scared of him when I saw he had powers. I was happy that that baking sheet knocked out his memory of that day."

"Same can be said for Koki when she burned me. She scared me and then I saw that she can't use her powers so I came back."

"Who does she think she is?" Martin growled. "This is beyond inhuman!"

"She's not even human to begin with," Joey deadpanned. "From what I heard, she is a goddess."

"Still horrible!"

"Agreed."

"I only hope the others find me," Martin thought.

* * *

Eris was thinking about which place she would mess up now, sitting on her throne, with Donita by her side, when she saw her dark clouds approaching, with Mina.

"Let me go!"

"I warned you. Dabio is an incompetent fool," Donita commented, understanding what was going on.

"Hmph," Eris grunted. "So, you escaped. Impressive for a little brat."

"Mark my words: the Nature Guardians will defeat you," Mina said, willing to not give up hope.

The goddess of discord just chuckled. "Oh my little niece, just because the Fates say that, doesn't mean it will happen. And by now, my clouds would have already-" Suddenly, more dark clouds came in frantically. "What?! The Earth Guardian brought back their hope?! But they believe that the Water Guardian's dead!" The clouds moved in gesture like movements. Eris growled in response. "Aqua! He just had to ruin everything!"

"His name is Martin!" Mina yelled.

"So that means YOU! You will be the key that destroys the Guardians once and for all!" In one swift movement, she swiped the hair clips out of her hair. Then she blasted dark energy at the nymph.

"NOOOO!" the little girl screamed. The darkness swallowed her.

 _'Chris! Martin! Aviva! Koki! Jimmy! Mom! HELP ME!'_ she could only shriek her cry for help in her mind before her world went black.

Eris observed as Mina fainted. Her white hair stripes slowly started turning black.

"If the Wild Kratts want a fight, I'll give them the challenge of their lives!" She sent Mina away in another energy bubble.

"Where are you sending her?"

"It's part of my little game, Donita... only a part of my game..."

* * *

The Wild Kratts returned to the place where Martin disappeared, led by Chris.

Suddenly, a dark cloud appeared with a letter.

"It's from Eris! I'm sure of it." Chris picked up the letter. "Guardians, I have an offer you can't refuse. Your little sister tried escaping, but nothing can stop me! Now she's slowly getting corrupted by my dark magic, and completely useless without her sister's hairclips."

"MINA!" Aviva gasped.

"Anyway, to my proposition: You have until the next sunset to find your Water member and free your sister. If you fail, she'll be my slave. If I fail, which I think is impossible, you do whatever you Guardians do." Chris hung firmly to the letter, getting enraged.

"That monster!" Koki clenched her fists. "How dare she?!"

"Eris, you will regret ever leaving your prison when I'm through with you!" Chris growled, crumpling the paper in his fist. "Come on, Guardians! We have two siblings to rescue!" The remaining five members headed in the direction of the River Styx, the brunette discarding the letter. Unknowing to them, the paper then burst into flames and became ashes on the ground.

* * *

As the team is taken across the River Styx, Chris led the way through his link with Martin. Knowing that the world depended on it, the boat master let him take charge.

"Charon, you knew Eris, didn't you?" Aviva asked.

"When she was still a young girl," Charon answered. "She said she didn't know where to go, so I took her to Hades."

"He and Persephone took her in out of pity and mercy and because Persephone was forbidden by her mother Demeter to give birth to a child of Hades. Hades had told her about how he was once jealous of his brothers for being closer to the surface while he got stuck with the underworld. This inspired her to learn dark magic and take a turn for the worse."

Suddenly, the boat stopped. "It's here," Chris said, feeling the link. "The darkest part of it."

Koki paid Charon, and Aviva thanked him for the info.

"Now to find my siblings."

* * *

Martin paced in the cell, fiddling with the cuffs. His family - minus Chris and Mina - were watching nearby as he kept trying to get them off. He growled in frustration. "It's no use. They won't come off," he huffed. Linda walked up to him and inspected the cuffs.

"Martin, these cuffs are the lock-on kind which only another user of magic can break open," she told him after much examination.

"How do you know that?"

"Let's just say I used to be into mythology and things considered magic when you and Chris were kids and could use your powers. You may not be able to remove them, but someone else can."

"But we don't have powers like Martin," Christine pointed out. Susan nodded in agreement.

"I know. And that's a problem here. If only Chris were here." A glow came from Martin's hand. Everyone looked at it.

"It's... it's Chris! And the others! They're here!"

"How do you..."

"The Guardian Link! He heard me!" Martin smiled. Then, he decided to keep calling him through the link.

* * *

"It's getting darker down here!" Koki complained.

"And there's barely anything bouncing back at me!" Bite-Size added. Jimmy activated his medallion and made a fireball in his hands.

"Thanks sugarcube."

"It's nothing," he replied.

"Well, at least we can see better," Aviva said. Suddenly, the mark on Chris's hand began to softly glow.

 _"Chris...! Can you hear me?"_

"Martin?" The brunette looked around, but didn't see his brother.

 _"You're closer now! Keep going,"_ Chris heard Martin's voice.

"Don't worry, bro. We're coming!"

* * *

Mina groaned as she stirred. She felt so weak like all of her energy from moments ago were just sapped out of her. Managing to open her eyes, the nymph saw her cell again. Only this time, the chain to the walls were shorter.

But wait a second... this wasn't her previous cell. She was trapped in a black cage in her temple! Eris sent her back just where she first met the Wild Kratts.

"What are you planning now Eris?" she groaned. Pain surged through her body. She recoiled at the feeling. Then she noticed her sprawled out hair. More of it had turned black. Her eyes widened in fear. "Oh no... please hurry, bros."

* * *

Chris followed his brother's voice until they all reached the jail, hidden behind some dark trees.

"Wow..." Chris observed. "This makes Alcatraz Island looks like an Old West jail."

"Chris! You there, bro?" Martin's voice echoed through the prison.

"Martin! Where are you?"

"Probably second floor!" Following the voice, the crew made their way up. Martin waved his arm out to make him more visible. The rest of the Kratt family slowly came over to him. Chris spotted the arm with a blue sleeve. The brunette felt himself tear up.

"Martin! I see you!" The Earth Guardian ran up to the cell and met face to face with his brother.

"Stand back!" Koki warned, throwing a fireball at the door, opening it. Chris rushed in embracing his brother.

"Oh, Martin, I'm so happy to see you! I thought the worse had happened."

"And I'm glad you found us!"

"Us?" Aviva asked.

"Christopher?" the brothers' mom said. Chris looked at her.

"Mom?"

Chris quickly embraced her and his big sisters. Then, he looked behind them to see his father. The Earth Guardian just stared at him with a serious expression.

"Don't be upset." Martin put a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "He was as much of a victim as us."

Chris looked as his brother, confused.

"Long story. But now we need to free the others." Martin pointed out.

"Jimmy!" Grandma Z called.

"Koki!" Joey said.

"Grandma?"

"Joey?"

* * *

After everyone was free and Chris freed his brother from the cuffs, Martin took knowledge of Eris' challenge.

"That monstruous beast! I'll annihilate her!" Martin expressed his fury, making ice spikes appear all around him. Of course, it spooked the normal people.

"Calm down, bro. It's essential to remain calm in these cases," Chris said. "Had to learn that the hard way."

"Chris, are you still upset about that?"

"How can I not? Thrice now, I nearly lost you! All three because of me!" His guilt was getting to him, causing the floor beneath them to crystallize.

"Guys, not now! According to my clock, we have only 6 hours before the sun sets," Aviva said.

"But where on the planet would she hide her?" Koki asked.

"Eris is wanting to "finish her work". Where everything started?" Chris thought.

"Mina's temple!" Aviva said. "Where she was defeated by Flora!"

"You mean when she was defeated by YOU."

"Well, kinda..."

"Nevermind that now! We need to hurry up!" Koki said.

"Okay. Let's go save Mina and our planet from Eris' wrath," Chris said.

"*gasp* That's the name of the episode!" Martin squealed. "Let's go!"

When the team and their families departed from the Underworld, they came to see the surface in a shocking sight.

The sky was gray, and filled of dark clouds.

Entering Mother Nature's temple, they saw Hermia trapped in an energy bubble.

"Hermia!" Chris gasped, bursting the bubble.

"I tried, my Guardians... but she's getting more and more stronger..." Hermia managed to get up, and put a flower in the fountain, showing them millions of screens with terrible sights.

All around their beloved planet, Eris caused havoc, sadness and horror. Children cried for help, being chased by giant monsters. Creatures' homes were being destroyed without pity.

"Oh my... it's a nightmare!" Linda gasped.

The Kratt Brothers balled their fists in complete fury. Everyone could literally feel the air getting colder. Mr. Kratt looked at his sons.

"Boys...?" he muttered in worry.

"First she kidnaps Mina and our families, and now THIS?!" Chris yelled. Crystal spikes and thorny briers shot up all over.

"She'll never get away with this!" Martin followed. An icy wind came out of nowhere along with razor, freezing snowflakes that created a massive blizzard inside the temple. Everybody braced for cover. Icy spikes busted through the floor.

"She's DEAD!" they both hollered, their eyes glowing blue and green furiously.

"MARTIN! CHRISTOPHER! STOP!" their parents screamed over the storm.

Chris and Martin heard their parents' voices, and gasped, looking back. Their parents were surrounded by ice, crystals and thorns. And the blizzard finally stopped.

Martin stepped back, scared of his actions, with Chris following him. Their eyes turned back to normal.

"We... we didn't..." Chris's eyes started filling up with tears.

"I know you both didn't mean to." Hermia put a comforting hand on their shoulders. "Terra and Aqua had the same problems. But no one ever hated either of them for that."

Chris and Martin breathed slowly, calming down. Immediately, their ice, briers and crystals started vanishing. Aviva sighed in relief.

Koki looked on a screen and saw Mina.

"Guys! She IS in her temple! And her hairclips are gone... Eris must have took them away."

Then, she gasped, as she saw another stripe of Mina's hair turn black.

"Let's go to the Indonesian forest! We don't have much time!"

* * *

Eris stared down at her suffering niece. "Just a little more...and you'll be mine," she told her. Mina managed to glare at the evil goddess.

"Th-they'll come... and stop you..." the nymph said.

"We'll see about that. They're no match for me. If Terra's still like he was very long ago, they shouldn't be too hard to kill again."

"You wanna bet, wicked witch?" Eris heard Chris's voice. She looked up to see all the crew being carried by Aviva's wind.

"I told... you..." Mina said, smirking.

"Impressive. You found her way earlier than I expected," Eris said.

"She's our sister! We can find her anywhere!" Aviva told her. The goddess of discord simply laughed.

"That may be, but I still have more power than ever before! Even when you defeated me, Flora!"

"First of all, it's now Aviva! And second, I'm not alone this time! And because of that, I'm stronger than before too!" She summoned a certain scepter using her medallion. Eris gasped.

"Th-that's the...!"

"Yes... the same scepter used to defeat you," Aviva said. "But it no longer belongs to me. It belongs to HER!" She pointed to Mina.

Eris cackled evilly.

"And you think this useless twerp can do something now?! Her protection is gone. And she'll soon be fully under my power. Perhaps I'll make her my personal foot rest..."

"Don't you dare!" Chris growled.

He created a crystal arrow and aimed it at the cage with his bow. With one shot, the lock broke. Aviva attacked Eris with her tessens and the goddess blocked with her scythe. While she distracted her, Martin broke Mina's binds with his sword and picked her up.

"I knew you would come..." the hybrid said weakly.

Another stripe on her hair turned black.

"We need to get her hairclips. They're the only protection she has," Martin said.

Aviva heard that, and saw Mina's hairclips on Eris' dress. In a swift movement, she used her tessend to slash that exact piece of the goddess of discord's dress.

"Hey! Give those back!" Eris snapped. The Air Guardian smirked with the two hair clips in her hand.

"Sorry, but these belong to someone!" she informed.

Mina closed her eyes slowly, feeling pain. The last few stripes of her hair were slowly turning black.

"I guess you're going to be too late..." Eris said, mocking Aviva.

Aviva gave the brothers the hair clips, but nothing happened as they put them in Mina's hair.

"Nothing is happening."

"Oh, no! Are we..."

"NO! We're not!" Aviva ran to aid her little sister, leaving Koki and Jimmy to fight the goddess alone. She placed the kid on her lap, and tears started forming in her eyes.

"Mina... please, you can't give up now... we're here... we love you... I always loved you, nevertheless in this or in my previous life..."

Martin and Chris held their little sister's hand firmly.

"She's right, Mina. You're our little sister. We can't lose you..."

Eris was temporarily knocked out by Koki and Jimmy, and they ran to help Mina.

"Come on, lil' sister... don't give up on us..."

"No... don't leave us... we love you..."

"Agh! Enough with all this sentimentalism!" Eris complained. "You're still the same as you were before. Always worrying first for someone else besides yourselves."

"That's what gives us strength!" Aviva said, holding Mina. "Mina knew this... even way better than us. She never stopped believing in us, even when things seemed to get worse. This was her biggest strength: her Hope!"

"Gee, you really are like Flora!" Eris giggled. "Now stand back... or suffer!" She threw a big cloud of dark magic.

The Guardians refused to leave Mina behind, and stood in place, embracing each other.

Eris cackled evily, believing she won, until...

"WHAT?!" she gasped.

*BG music: David Glen Eisley - Sweet Victory*

The team was enveloped in a white light sphere and then was lifted into the air.

From her temple, Mother Nature and the others saw the light.

The Earth Gem behind Eris glowed brightly and shot a beam of rainbow light at the sphere's direction.

Inside the sphere, everyone looked confused, but then saw their medallions glowing. The rainbow light hit Mina, which expelled some of the injected darkness in her. A majority of her hair turned back to white, leaving only one streak black. She then opened her eyes slowly... to reveal steel blue orbs.

"Mina?" Aviva asked. Mina looked up at her sister.

"A-Aviva?" she asked. Everyone smiled in relief.

"Mina!" She pulled the nymph into an embrace, followed by the rest of the team.

"That's impossible!" Eris cried. "I saw her! She was mine!"

"It wasn't impossible, Eris!" Mina shouted in determination as she floated. "Because we have what you don't! Family! And the only power you'll never be able to control!" She took hold of the scepter and held it high above her. The medallions enveloped their wielders in their respective lights. One by one, each Guardian called out their element.

"Bravery!" When the light faded, Martin was in his blue Guardian robe.

"Mercy!" Chris appeared in his green robe.

"Kindness!" Out came Aviva in her purple robe.

"Generosity!" In their respective colored robes were Koki and Jimmy.

"And Hope!" Mina called. The last stripes of her hair turned back to white.

"Together, they gives us the strenght to restore the damage you caused. For united, we have the power of nature!" Everyone closed their eyes and were surrounded by another white light. A rainbow light came from them and crashed upon the goddess of discord.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Mina's eyes opened with a white glow and everything went white…

* * *

Mr and Mrs. Kratt, along with Tania, Laura, the kids, Joey and Grandma, Grandpa, Gina and Harry Z followed Hermia to the place where they saw that powerful light.

The Guardians slowly woke up really dizzy from that attack.

Mina was fainted on the floor. Her hair was once again fully white. Martin and Chris caressed her face, making her wake up and embrace them. Then, she looked at her hair, seeing that Eris' magic was no longer upon her.

Then, she looked back to see Eris petrified, and Donita running away, once Dabio rushed to meet her.

"She won't cause any more trouble," Martin said. "Neither will Donita."

"Not as long as she doesn't receive negativity," Hermia said, approaching them all. "We need to put her somewhere far away from any sign of it."

Koki, Jimmy, Martin and Chris whispered to each other for a moment.

"Before we do that... Mother Nature..." Chris said, once they finished whispering. "We want to ask something." Hermia turned to them. "We would like to have our natural powers linked to our medallions, so we could use them only when we're wearing them."

"I understand your worry, Chris. And you all carry the same worry," Hermia said. "Your fear of hurting the ones you love by accident is understandable."

"Can you do it?" Chris said.

"Sure, darling." Hermia caressed the Kratt in green's hair.

Mother Nature turned to the Earth Gem. Touching it lightly, it shot four beams of different colored lights and landed on the respective Guardians' hearts. Their medallions glowed and they felt a sudden restraint on them before it eased.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Laura rushed to embrace Martin, knocking them both on the floor.

"We were so worried." Tania looked at Chris.

Chris then looked at Mr and Mrs. Kratt. They were talking... like they haven't in years.

"You know? I think things are gonna be just fine," The Earth Guardian concluded.

* * *

Some weeks later, the crew was reunited at the Tortuga again. The world was back to normal... for now.

"Hey, Chris. Guess what? Dad and our sisters are living with mom again," Martin told excitedly.

"Really? And no more curse?"

"Yep! Mother Nature said that when we defeated Eris, it also permanently removed the curse! He, Joey and Jimmena are back to normal!"

"And no one can be more happy about that than me," Mr. Kratt said, coming over to them with the rest of the family. The brothers smiled.

"Dad!"

"So this is the Tortuga. A very impressive structure," Mr. Kratt said.

"Gracias, señor," Aviva greeted. "I'm glad you like it."

Martin and Chris observed as the Tortuga crew received their families.

"You know what, Koki?" Joey said, after she introduced Bite-Size properly. "Ah guess ah can give bats a chance."

"That's the spirit, bro," Koki said.

"Your girlfriend is beautiful, James," Gina Z told her son. "I admit I had my doubts when you became part of the Wild Kratts, but now I'm sure that you're doing the right thing with your life."

"That's my boy!" Harry Z gave his nephew a pat on the shoulder.

Chris and Martin observed all the excitement inside the Tortuga.

"Hey, where's Mina?" Martin asked.

* * *

Mina observed the sun set from the Tortuga's shell. Then, she looked at her white hair.

"Hmm, it looks a little... out of place," she said to herself.

"There you are," Martin said as he and the Kratt family took the lift.

"Awe, so this is our new little sister," Susan cooed.

"She's so cute," Christine commented. Mina smiled with a blush.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet the whole family. Well, excluding Clarissa."

"Clarissa?" The twins asked.

"Maybe someday you'll meet her, girls," Chris told the twins.

"What are you doing here, little sister?" Martin asked.

"I was just thinking... thinking about what happened," Mina confessed.

"Like what? Anything specific?"

"Wondering where Mom sent Eris."

"Don't think about it," Chris assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Hermia found the perfect place to banish her statue." Martin nodded in agreement. Mina smiled.

"Yeah. You're right." Linda then came up to her sons and new daughter. The hybrid smiled at her. "Hello. So you're my second mom. It's nice to meet you."

"Same goes for you, Mina," she replied. "And mother or not, you're welcome in the family." Mina hugged her.

Suddenly, the bros felt something stir. They looked out to the setting sun. Something out there was awakening or something, but what?

"Chris?"

"Yeah, Martin?"

"I get the feeling something's coming."

"Me too."

"Guys, hurry!" they all heard Aviva's call. "We're gonna celebrate our victory!"

"We're coming!" they said, and rushed back inside with their almost complete family.

* * *

In a dense forest, there stood a crumbling temple. At the door of the temple laid a black sphere. Suddenly, it cracked and slowly cracked more. Eventually, it shattered, releasing some kind of black smoke.

"At last that old hag is gone or banished," the darkness commented. The smoke solidified into a person's silhouette. The figure stretched his arms into the air. "And I can move again." He felt a certain presence coming from afar. This made him evilly chuckle. "And what good timing as well. Now, I can finally have my revenge." The silhouette opened his eyes, showing black sclera with sea green irises and white pupils.


End file.
